Customs steps up action vs fake goods, raw-meat smuggling

 

This shop is one of 25 raided by Customs in Mong Kok for selling fake branded goods

Hong Kong Customs has raided 25 shops in Mong Kok, as part of intensified effort to crack down on the sale of counterfeit goods ahead of the “Golden Week” marking the 75^th National Day on Oct. 1.

The operation coincided with calls on travellers, especially those crossing the border from the Mainland, to stop bringing in raw meat and poultry products, as this violates Customs regulations.

In the raids in Mong Kok conducted between Sept 20 and 25, a total of 8,500 falsely branded items were seized, with an estimated market value of about $3.6 million.

Pindutin para sa detalye

The raids on 25 fixed-pitch hawker stalls on Tung Choi Street and a hidden counterfeit goods storage nearby yielded a batch of items that included handbags, wallets and headphones.

Two women, aged 35 and 41, were arrested. An investigation is ongoing;

Customs warns that it will continue to step up its inspection and enforcement action to combat goods violating copyright infringements, especially with the approach of the Golden Week.

Basahin ang detalye!

Consumers are advised to buy goods only at reputable shops and to check with trademark owners or their agents if they have doubts about the authenticity of the products being sold.

Sellers are warned that dealing with counterfeit products is a serious crime under the Trade Description Ordinace, for which the maximum sentence is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.

Reports on suspected counterfeiting activities may be made through Customs' 24-hour hotline, 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Illegal food importation is on the rise, says Customs

Meanwhile, Customs also repeated a warning against the importation of prohibited food products into Hong Kong, particularly fresh meat and eggs, amid  a doubling in the number of people found committing this offence.

According to Jacqueline Lee, deputy head of the Customs and Excise Department’s land boundary command, the number of illegal food imports seized in the first eight months of the year reached  1,324, which is more than the total of 1,019 reported for the entire 2023.

More than 60 percent of the food seized involved uncooked meat. About 30 percent related to eggs and the remaining 10 percent, to poultry.

Customs officials said much of the meat smuggled in were only wrapped in plastic bags, sparking hygiene concerns.

A big number of the tourists caught with the unlicensed meat had tried to hide them in carry-on bags, but some kept them inside suitcases, luggage carts or backpacks.

Lee said many people might not be aware or might have been misled into thinking that vacuum packing, foil wrapping, or blanching raw meat was permissible for bringing food back to Hong Kong.

But this is wrong, she said, because without the required health permits, uncooked meat cannot be brought into the territory, and travellers risk being charged with a criminal offence if they violate such restriction.

Most of the raw meat smuggled in are wrapped or vacuum-packed in plastic bags

Under the Import and Export Ordinance, each consignment of imported meat and poultry requires an import license from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.

Also, the Imported Game, Meat, Poultry and Eggs Regulations state that each consignment must be accompanied by a health certificate issued by the relevant authority in the place of origin and/or import permission from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.

Violators face a maximum fine of HK$50,000 and six months' imprisonment.

PRESS FOR DETAILS