Customs said officers first intercepted a suspicious barge in the waters off Tsing Yi in the evening on April 4 after risk assessment and intelligence analysis.

There were 16 containers onboard and two of them were sealed. The crewmen failed to present a list of goods loaded within and officers couldn’t contact the vessel company at the time.

The next day, officers decided to open and inspect the two 40-foot containers on board the barge, and found the batch of suspected illicit cigarettes inside, with an estimated market value of about HK$75 million and a duty potential of about HK$50 million.

During the operation, three men aged 27 to 57 in connection to the case were arrested. Customs added an investigation is ongoing and officers may make more arrests.

Customs believed criminals were trying to take advantage of the time before the Easter holidays for their smuggling activities, and that the illicit cigarettes would be transported to other regions for re-sale.

Customs also warned the public that smuggling is a serious offense. Any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo could face a maximum fine of HK$2 million and seven years’ imprisonment.