Man caught with cigarettes taped to ankles in police crackdown

We hope those four packs of cigarettes were worth the criminal record and public humiliation!

A man was caught trying to smuggle cigarettes into Hong Kong by taping two packs to each ankle.

In an ongoing crackdown on the illegal cigarette trade, the police have caught a total of 164 people, ranging from 19 to 68 years old, and uncovered four illegal storehouses.

The crackdown targeted multiple points in the illicit supply chain, from smuggling to storage and distribution to peddling.

So far authorities seized a total of 2.5 million illegal cigarettes, worth about HKD6.6 million on the market and approximately 10,469 lung tumours. (JK. Kind of.)

If the cancer sticks had reached their customers, criminals would have evaded about HKD4.8 million in taxes.

Customs believes “the operation has successfully smashed illicit cigarette syndicates and disrupted their supply chain in the territory”.