Asia-Pacific News
Hong Kong smugglers send millions of dollars of tobacco in mail
Jan 10, 2012, 3:54 GMT
Hong Kong - Smuggled tobacco worth about 3.5 million dollars destined for Britain by airmail was seized over the year-end holiday period, Hong Kong customs officers said Tuesday.
More than 9,500 kilograms of hand-rolling tobacco packaged as the Golden Virginia brand was found in 600 airmail parcels declared as gifts and household products addressed to different parts of Britain.
The amount was 10 times the total of smuggled tobacco seized in Hong Kong during the first 11 months of 2011, with potential duties of 20 million dollars, a Customs Department spokesman said.
Officers mounted the operation after investigations revealed that smugglers were using the busy holiday postal period to sneak tobacco from China to countries with high taxes.
Four men including the alleged head of a syndicate were arrested.
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