Hong Kong customs officers have seized more than 6 million suspected illicit cigarettes and heated tobacco products worth over HK$29 million in two separate operations, involving brands rarely seen in the city and mainland Chinese tourists bringing in goods from Japan.
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Customs said on Friday that two men were arrested in the operations, including a 44-year-old local truck driver who was detained in Yuen Long the previous day.
Around 6 million suspected illicit cigarettes were found in the truck and a warehouse.
Customs said the confiscated cigarettes, with an estimated market value of about HK$28 million and a duty potential of about HK$19 million, were from a brand that was relatively unpopular in Hong Kong and nearby locations.
“It is believed that the products would later be exported to other countries. But we do not rule out the possibility that some might get into the local illicit cigarette market for sale,” said Chan Sing-lung, a senior investigator of customs’ revenue crimes investigation bureau.
Customs also seized 90,000 suspected illegal cigarettes and 110,000 heated tobacco products during an operation on Friday morning.