Hong Kong steps up crackdown on illegal e‑cigarette imports

Hong Kong courts sentenced a woman to two months in jail after customs intercepted 18,000 alternative smoking products in her luggage arriving from Japan. The case follows amendments to the Tobacco Control Legislation that gave the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office new arrest powers, and the Department of Health reiterated that travelers may not bring e‑cigarettes, heated tobacco devices or herbal cigarettes into the city.

Separately, Hong Kong Customs seized an estimated HK$16 million worth of contraband at the Tuen Mun River Trade Terminal, including about 82,000 alternative smoking products that had been declared as holiday decorations. The haul also contained small electrical appliances, toys and metal accessories. Investigations are ongoing and authorities warned that violations of the Import and Export Ordinance can lead to fines up to HK$2 million and up to seven years imprisonment.

Both actions illustrate Hong Kong's heightened enforcement of its tightened tobacco‑control regime and the severe penalties applied to large‑scale smuggling of e‑cigarettes and related products.