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| Officers swarm the Filipina who allegedly sold illicit cigarettes (Facebook photo) |
A number of photos and videos surfaced online on Sunday, Feb. 1, of a Filipina being surrounded by about a dozen police officers near Statue Square, allegedly for the illicit sale of untaxed cigarettes.
The reported arrest happened at around 3pm beside exit
K of the Central MTR station, and was witnessed by hundreds of people on
streets surrounding the square.
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| PINDUTIN PARA SA DETALYE |
In front of the Filipina were several plastic bags
containing clothes as well as three black bags that reportedly contained the
illicit cigarettes.
(The SUN has sent an inquiry to the HK Police
regarding the alleged arrest, but has yet to receive a reply).
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| PINDUTIN DITO |
Some netizens commented that the Filipina was known
to sell illicit cigarettes in the area quite openly. Others said she also
peddled vapes, which are prohibited from being carried, smoked or sold in Hong Kong,
but the reports have yet to be verified.
One netizen said, “Parang sya ung nagbebenta ng yosi, dyan ako nabili e (She looks
like the one who sells cigarettes, I even buy from her).
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| Black bags which allegedly contained the untaxed cigarettes |
Illicit
cigarettes are those for which tax was not paid, making them way cheaper than
those sold in regular retail stores.
Under Hong Kong law, handling, possessing, selling or purchasing illicit cigarettes is a serious offence. Violators face a maximum fine of up to HK$2 million and imprisonment for up to 10 years.
The incident happened amid an ongoing crackdown by law enforcers on illicit cigarette sales.
Just two days earlier, Hong Kong Customs announced that it raided three retail outlets and seized around 13,000 suspected illicit cigarettes with a market value of around HK$58,000 with a potential tax loss of around HK$43,000.
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| Basahin ang detalye! |
Three people were arrested, including a store owner and two shop assistants.
The two-day operation targeted shops in Sheung Shui, Kwai Chung and Chai Wan after the police received information about cigarettes being sold there at prices lower than the statutory tobacco duty, raising the presumption that no duty was paid for them.
