HK customs seize US$2 million in UK-bound cigarettes

HONG KONG custom authorities seized contraband of cigarettes of US$2 million street value on route from Huangpu Port, Guangzhou to the United Kingdom using x-ray detection which spotted a discrepancy in density of the cargo against goods manifest.

The FEU was aboard a inbound domestic trade freighter when the 852 boxes of 8.5 million cigarettes were discovered at the Customs Cargo Examination Compound at its river trade terminal of Tuen Mun, New Territories. More than $1.3 million in duty would have been due.

The penalty the culprits face is a two-year prison sentence and a $1 million fine.

The customs authorities denied the find was through insider information but instead through x-ray detection and cross-checking of paperwork reports London's Handy Shipping Guide.

(Source: www.schednet.com)