Hong Kong seizes HK$2.7 billion of illicit cigarettes as cases surge in 2024
Customs chief says spike in cases linked to rising tobacco tax in city
Hong Kong customs confiscated HK$2.7 billion (US$346 million) worth of illicit cigarettes last year, with the department’s chief attributing an 80 per cent rise in the number of seizures to increases in the city’s tobacco tax.
Commissioner of Customs and Excise Chan Tsz-tat said on Tuesday that recent tobacco duty increases had prompted visitors to bring untaxed cigarettes into Hong Kong.
“Undeniably, the tax difference in recent years has incentivised more visitors to bring in cigarettes above the duty-free amount, even though it’s illegal. The number of cases is rising. In 2025, I can see the number is still climbing for now,” Chan said during the Customs and Excise Department’s annual review.
Hong Kong’s tobacco tax has increased over the past few years. In last year’s budget, duty was increased by 80 HK cents a stick, pushing the price of a pack of 20 cigarettes up by HK$16 to more than HK$90, with tax accounting for HK$66.
A pack of contraband cigarettes sells for between HK$20 and HK$30 on the black market.
Customs recorded 31,242 law enforcement cases in 2024, among which 68 per cent, or 21,284, involved illicit cigarette busts, representing an 80 per cent surge from 11,806 in 2023.
Among seizures of untaxed cigarettes last year, 92.6 per cent, or 19,702 cases, involved fines issued to inbound passengers carrying more than the permitted duty-free limit and failing to declare the excess to customs officers at border checkpoints.