Customs officers have arrested five men and seized 882,680 smuggled cigarettes worth about $1.32 million and counterfeit goods worth about $1.6 million from two storage and packaging centres in Kwai Chung and Lai Chi Kok.

The syndicate sells smuggled cigarettes and counterfeit goods through the Internet to buyers in the UK. When an order is received, the goods are first sent to Hong Kong from the Mainland, and forwarded to the UK by air cargo or parcel.

Of the men, aged 28 to 52, one is believed to be the syndicate mastermind and another is a major ring member. Investigations are underway.