Zhuhai’s Gongbei Customs announced in a statement yesterday that its officers seized 132 cigars at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Zhuhai checkpoint on May 4.
According to the statement, on that day, customs officers, while conducting a routine inspection at the checkpoint, noticed that a Macau single-plate vehicle was following an unusual trajectory.
They stopped the vehicle for inspection, the statement said, adding that upon further examination, customs officers discovered 132 undeclared “Montecristo” brand cigars were concealed in the boot of the vehicle.
Gongbei Customs reminded the public in the statement that tobacco products are restricted items for entry into the Chinese mainland. For frequent cross-border travellers (those who enter the Chinese mainland more than once within a 15-day period), the customs may grant duty-free clearance for up to two cigars.
Meanwhile, Zhuhai Gongbei Customs announced in a separate statement yesterday that its officers seized 200 cigarettes and 56 cosmetics products at Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) Zhuhai checkpoint on May 7.
According to the statement, customs officers at the checkpoint, while conduction supervision at the checkpoint, noticed that a traveller using the “green channel” was walking at a brisk pace.
They stopped the traveller for inspection, the statement said, adding that the officers discovered that the inner layer of a black coat the passenger was carrying contained a large number of concealed pockets that had been sewn into it.
Upon further inspection, a total of 200 cigarettes, along with a batch of cosmetics such as eye cream, face cream and serum* – totalling 56 containers – were found inside the sewn pockets.
In the statement, Gongbei Customs reminded the public that according to relevant regulations, evading customs supervision by hiding or bringing goods subject to taxes into the mainland constitutes smuggling. If the circumstances are severe enough to constitute a crime, criminal liability will be pursued.
*In skincare, a serum is a lightweight, highly concentrated topical product designed to deliver specific active ingredients directly into the skin. – Gemini
These two undated handout photos provided by Zhuhai Gongbei Customs yesterday shows cigars, cigarettes and cosmetics seized by its officers at the HZMB on May 4 and 7, respectively.
