Hong Kong Customs seizes suspected counterfeit goods and duty-not-paid liquor worth about $1.5 million

Hong Kong Customs on June 28 seized about 7,400 suspected counterfeit goods and eight liters of suspected duty-not-paid liquor at the Tuen Mun River Trade Terminal Customs Cargo Examination Compound. The total estimated market value was about $1.5 million, with a duty potential of about $70,000.

Through risk assessment, Customs on that day inspected a 40-foot container, declared as carrying food, clothes and footwear and arriving in Hong Kong from Nansha, Guangdong. After the inspection, Customs officers found the batch of suspected counterfeit goods, including clothing, footwear, handbags and belts, and the batch of suspected duty-not-paid liquor inside the container.

An initial investigation revealed that the batch of suspected counterfeit goods and suspected duty-not-paid liquor would be transhipped to overseas regions.

The investigation is ongoing.

Customs will continue to take stringent enforcement action against cross-boundary counterfeit goods activities based on risk assessment and intelligence analysis and combat illicit liquor activities by interception at source for the protection of revenue.

Under the Trade Descriptions Ordinance, any person who imports or exports any goods to which a forged trademark is applied commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.

Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, anyone involved in dealing with, possession of, selling or buying illicit liquor commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years.

Members of the public may report any suspected violation of the above-mentioned Ordinances to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).