Yau Ma Tei, Hong Kong—Officers swarmed Shanghai and Temple Street over the last 48 hours to shut down a network of illicit cigarette stalls. The operation ended with five arrests and the seizure of thousands of cigarettes. These stalls operated as mobile points of sale, moving frequently to avoid detection by patrol units.

The suspects are three women and two men, ranging from 32 to 75 years old. All claimed to be unemployed when processed at the station. They are accused of peddling duty-not-paid products directly to the public in one of the city’s busiest districts.

Customs officials stated that the seized goods have a market value of approximately HK$75,000. These products bypass the massive tobacco taxes imposed by the local government, undercutting licensed vendors and funding unregulated supply chains.

The raid was part of a broader, sustained effort to choke off the supply of contraband tobacco at the street level. Intelligence gathered from street informants led the squad to target these specific mobile operations. The vendors relied on small carts and inconspicuous packaging to hide their inventory from passing police.

Evidence boxes containing the contraband were cataloged and removed from the scene by mid-afternoon. Customs investigators are now focused on tracing the source of the supply. They are looking into the logistics used to store and transport the tobacco to these high-traffic pedestrian areas.

Residents in the area have long voiced frustration regarding the open nature of these sales. The stalls often clustered near subway exits and late-night eateries, making them accessible to a wide demographic. Some stalls operated almost like convenience stores, with regular customers and fixed schedules.

The suspects are currently being questioned by the Customs and Excise Department. They face charges under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance. If convicted, each individual faces significant fines and potential jail time for their role in the racket.

This operation serves as a warning to other small-scale distributors operating in the city. Customs has indicated that further sweeps are planned for the upcoming weeks. The focus will remain on dismantling the storage hubs that keep these mobile stalls stocked throughout the district.