Representatives of 16 Asia Pacific customs administrations have drawn up an action plan to fight trans-national cigarette smuggling.

Entitled Project Crocodile, the plan was unanimously endorsed today at the first meeting of the World Customs Organisation Contact Points for Anti-Cigarette Smuggling Operations in the Asia-Pacific Region hosted by Hong Kong's Customs & Excise Department.

Customs administrations aim to monitor the movement of all suspicious cigarette shipments when they are imported, re-exported or trans-shipped across customs territories.

The plan comprises three major parts: a monitoring system; a notification system; and, investigation and prosecution.

Through the establishment of a monitoring system, participating customs administrations and the Asia-Pacific Regional Intelligence Liaison Office will keep track of the movement of suspicious cigarette shipments. If they identify any change in the identity of the cigarettes or a diversion of their normal tracks, they will conduct speedy follow-up investigations.

Under the immediate seizure notification system, customs administrations will proactively, through a unified communication channel, exchange intelligence on smuggling cases. They will closely liaise with each other and when necessary seek assistance from other members. This is essential to helping individual customs administrations to eradicate trans-national smuggling syndicates who may be hiding in other jurisdictions.

The 16 administrations are Australia, Brunei, the Mainland, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.