Cigarette Smuggling
SCMP: Customs seize smuggled cigarettes worth over HK$10 million
from the SCMP (AFP):
Customs officers apprehend smugglers carrying cigarettes in cross-border transport vehicles
Hong Kong customs seized nearly four million cigarettes, worth over HK$10 million, in a two-week operation aimed at stifling smuggling in the territory, officials said on Saturday.
Authorities arrested seven people aged between 23 and 63 in the operation, which started in mid-December.
“Two cross-boundary vehicles conveying illicit cigarettes were seized and five illicit cigarette storage points were smashed,” a government statement released on Saturday said.
Customs said that almost 90 per cent of the seized cigarettes were found on two vehicles crossing the border from the mainland into the city.
Some of them were found in concealed spaces within containers carried by the vehicles.
“The total market value was estimated at HKD$10 million,” the statement said of the cigarettes.
“It was believed that the suspected illicit cigarette syndicate had been smashed,” the statement added.
A picture released by the government showed packs upon packs of the seized cigarettes being displayed with brands including Marlboro and Chinese manufactured Double Happiness, among others.
Smuggled cigarettes worth nearly HK$10 million were seized by customs in the last major operation in November.
Cigarette smuggling has been on the rise in Hong Kong. A total of about 38 million cigarettes were seized in the first 11 months of last year, compared to 27 million in the same period in 2012.
The territory is prone to cigarette smuggling due to its land border with the mainland.
Under Hong Kong laws, the maximum penalty for smuggling is a fine of HK$2 million and a seven-year jail term.
4 Jan 2013
Mugabe family linked to cigarette smuggling
http://www.news24.com/Africa/Zimbabwe/Mugabe-family-linked-to-cigarette-smuggling-20131229?utm_source=news24-am-newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletters
Johannesburg – A prominent Zimbabwe tobacco company, with ties to President Robert Mugabe, is suspected of smuggling millions of Rands worth of illegal cigarettes into South Africa in what is thought to be a bid to help boost the country’s ailing economy.
The Sunday Times reported that Zimbabwe’s Savanna Tobacco is owned by prominent businessman Adam Molai, who is married to Mugabe’s niece, Sandra Mugabe. Savanna Tobacco is believed to have moved tons of contraband into South Africa.
Savanna’s main brand, Pacific cigarettes, is allegedly being smuggled into the country and sold primarily in Cape Town.
In the past, Mugabe has openly supported Savanna and only a year ago accused rival company British American Tobacco (BAT) of spying on Savanna and hijacking its trucks.
FOCUS: MIA Secretary General: Illegal tobacco factory busted in Sofia
An illegal tobacco factory was busted on the territory of the capital, Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior Chief Commissioner Svetlozar Lazarov said at a press conference. According to Chief Commissioner Lazarov the money from unpaid excise of the found 5 tons of cut tobacco is around BGN 1 million.
The factory for illegal production of cigarettes was found on Friday within the course of a special police operation carried out in Sofia living district of Orlandovtsi.
Chief Commissioner Svetlozar Lazarov specified the mechanism of work of the illegal factory. He said that after delivering the tobacco, it was being cut then processed and distributed in two directions: in packs of tobacco and cigarettes.
The deliveries were made in restaurants and zoo-shops and from them were redistributed for the entire country. During the course of the operation were arrested two people – a man and a woman, who have advertised the smuggled goods on the Internet. The illegal scheme has been operating for three years, the Commissioner stated.
14 Dec 2013
SCMP: Customs seize HK$1.7m worth of illegal cigarettes hidden in fake water heaters
from Clifford Lo of the SCMP:
Customs officers confiscated more than HK$1.7 million worth contraband cigarettes hidden in fake electric water heaters on Friday.
The consignment – the second such seizure in three months – was discovered after officers followed a cross-boundary lorry to a logistic centre in Sheung Shui at about 11am.
The 34-year-old driver was arrested while unloading the goods from the lorry. The vehicle, which arrived from Shenzhen, was registered as carrying metal and nylon products and ceramic tiles.
In the first 10 months of this year, customs have intercepted 22 big smuggling attempts involving at least 500,000 illegal cigarettes in each case. (SCMP)
The road towards plain packaging
The issue of plain packaging for tobacco has come to the forefront, with Scotland following Australia’s legislation to enforce plain packaging on all tobacco products, for which studies conducted by the British Medical Journal has shown to be effective in discouraging smoking. Ria Patel reports for TopNews:
Scotland to introduce standardised packaging of cigarettes in 2014-15
After Australia, Scotland is going to be the second country that is introducing plain packaging for cigarettes. The Scottish Government has announced that the regulation will be active in 2014-15.
Scottish Public Health Minister Michael Matheson said he wants to see Scotland in the forefront when it comes to reducing the harms caused by tobacco.
Matheson informed that the tobacco industry has challenged them. But Matheson affirmed they will remain determined to introduce plain packaging.
“To build a generation free from tobacco it is necessary to restrict the imagery and design that tobacco companies use to pull in another generation to use these addictive and lethal products”, affirmed Matheson.
GovHK press release: Customs seizes 3.3 million sticks of illicit cigarettes in operation against smuggling and retailing activities
Press release from the Hong Kong government:
Hong Kong Customs mounted a one-week special operation to combat cross-boundary smuggling of illicit cigarettes and distribution of cigarettes throughout the territory. In the operation, a cross-boundary vehicle used for conveying illicit cigarettes was seized and six illicit cigarette storage points were smashed. About 3.3 million sticks of illicit cigarettes were seized. The total market value was about $8.1 million with a duty potential of about $5.6 million. Three men and three women aged between 41 and 58 were arrested.
Illicit cigarettes seized in a cross-boundary vehicle. (info.gov.hk)
Neil H. Cruz: “Cheap cigarettes from China flooding PH”
Neil H. Cruz, a writer known for his anti-policy, opinionated (and sometimes wacky) columns for the Philippine Inquirer, expresses somewhat naively his concerns about the high tobacco tax policy in the Philippines:
The government raised the excise tax on cigarettes to increase tax collection and, allegedly, to force smokers to quit or at least smoke less. With the price of cigarettes sky-high because of the higher taxes, the government reasoned out, smokers would either smoke less or quit smoking completely, thus saving themselves from the ravages of lung cancer, emphysema and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), all of which can be fatal.
The high tax regime has been in force since January. Has it forced smokers to quit? No. Has it pushed street prices of cigarettes high enough to make smokers quit? No. Has the government been able to collect more taxes? Still no.
Worse, what Filipinos are smoking now is much more harmful to their health than what they used to smoke. What happened?