Customs have cracked three illicit cigarettes cases and arrested five people, seizing 43,240 cigarettes worth $64,000 with a duty potential of $34,000.

In one of the cases, Customs officers seized 24,000 cigarettes yesterday, worth about $36,000 and with duty potential of $19,000. They were found under a stove of a grocery store/apartment in Sham Shui Po. A 41-year-old woman store owner and 59-year-old male customer were arrested.

This was the first time Customs had found offenders using a stove as a storage place for illicit cigarettes. To evade Customs investigation, the grocery store displayed dutiable cigarettes and groceries for sale while hiding illicit cigarettes under a stove in the apartment connected to the store.

Separately, Customs officers closed an illicit cigarette storage centre in Ngau Tau Kok and a distribution centre in Tsing Yi, seizing 19,240 illicit cigarettes worth $28,000 with duty potential of $15,000. Two men and a woman aged 50 to 66 were arrested.

459 cases cracked so far this year

Customs take stringent enforcement against illicit cigarette activities. In the first half of this year, the department cracked 459 illicit cigarette cases, arresting 256 people and seizing 5.51 million cigarettes worth $8.26 million with a duty potential of $4.43 million.

Last year, Customs cracked 1,427 illicit cigarette cases, arresting 766 people and seizing 10.72 million cigarettes worth $16.97 million with a duty potential of $8.62 million.