Hong Kong Customs combats unfair trade practices against Wi-Fi devices rental service provider
Hong Kong Customs yesterday (December 4) arrested a male director of a Wi-Fi devices rental service provider who was suspected of renting Wi-Fi devices on which a false trade description was applied, in contravention of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance (TDO).
Customs earlier received information from members of the public that when they rented Wi-Fi eggs from a service provider and paid the deposits, they were informed that the deposits would be refunded at a specified period of time after the return of the devices. However, the provider did not refund the deposits on time and the total deposits involved amounted to $9,000.
After an investigation, Customs officers yesterday arrested a 35-year-old male director of the provider. The investigation is ongoing and the arrested person has been released on bail pending further investigation.
Customs reminds traders to comply with the requirements of the TDO and consumers to procure services at reputable shops.
Under the TDO, any trader who applies a false trade description to a service supplied to a consumer commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for five years.
Members of the public may report any suspected violations of the TDO to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/).
Hong Kong Customs seizes suspected cocaine and suspected ketamine at airport
Hong Kong Customs yesterday (December 24) and today (December 25) detected three drug trafficking cases at Hong Kong International Airport and seized about 6.6 kilograms of suspected cocaine and about 10kg of suspected ketamine with a total estimated market value of about $10 million.
The first case involved a 46-year-old male passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Lagos, Nigeria, via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia yesterday. During Customs clearance, Customs officers found him to be suspicious and suspected that the passenger had dangerous drugs concealed inside his body cavity. He was then escorted to the hospital for examination. Upon examination, the man was confirmed by a doctor to have foreign objects concealed inside his body cavity and was arrested subsequently. As at 7pm today, the arrested person has discharged 69 pellets of suspected cocaine weighing about 1.2kg in total.
The second case involved one male passenger, aged 29, and arrived in Hong Kong from London, England via Doha, Qatar, yesterday. During customs clearance, about 5.4kg of suspected cocaine was seized from his carry-on suitcase. The man was subsequently arrested. The dangerous drugs were concealed in two stuffed toys and put inside his carry-on suitcase.
The third case involved a 30-year-old female passenger arriving in Hong Kong from Frankfurt, Germany, today. During customs clearance, about 10kg of suspected ketamine was found in three plastic bags inside her check-in suitcase. The female was subsequently arrested.
The investigation of the first case is still ongoing and the arrested man is currently under medical surveillance.
The arrested persons of the second and the third case have each been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug. The cases will be brought up at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts tomorrow (December 26).
Customs will continue to step up enforcement against drug trafficking activities through intelligence analysis. The department also reminds members of the public to stay alert and not to participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary returns. They must not accept hiring or delegation from another party to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong. They are also reminded not to carry unknown items for other people.
Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.
Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.
Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).
Hong Kong Customs seizes suspected cocaine and suspected ketamine at airport Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Hong Kong Customs seizes suspected cocaine and suspected ketamine at airport Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
