On Dec. 10, Hong Kong Customs conducted a significant anti-smuggling operation in the Tsuen Wan area, where they discovered a suspicious individual pushing a cart loaded with cardboard cartons into an industrial building.
Upon investigation, officers uncovered approximately 10,000 suspected illegal cigarettes. Customs then took the man to a mini-storage facility within the building, where they discovered and seized around 300,000 additional contraband cigarettes.
In total, the operation resulted in the confiscation of approximately 310,000 suspected illegal cigarettes, with an estimated market value of around HK$1.4 million and a taxable value of approximately HK$1.02 million.
The 30-year-old male suspect, who claimed to be unemployed, is believed to have rented the mini-storage space to store the illicit cigarettes, which he allegedly intended to sell to local consumers.