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Reward boosted to track down illicit cigarette smugglers
The Tobacco Institute of Hong Kong Limited and Customs and Excise Department today (Thursday) signed an agreement to increase the ceiling of the total amount of this year's reward to be paid to informers of illicit cigarette smuggling activities from $300,000 to $500,000.
The agreement revises an earlier one signed in January under a reward scheme which states that the total amount to be paid by the Institute should not exceed $300,000 in 1996. Up to July, a total of $230,000 reward money has already been paid out in eight cases covering a total seizure of 23.8 million cigarettes.
Recognising that the remaining $70,000 reward money may not be sufficient to cover the remaining months of the year, the Institute agreed to inject an additional amount of $200,000 to the scheme as an initiative to encourage more informers to assist the Customs in enforcement actions against illicit cigarette smuggling activities.
The reward scheme was first launched in 1994. During that year only one piece of information qualified for the reward was received, and a sum of $50,000 was paid out. In 1995, seven seizures were made as a result of information received, and a total of $140,000 was paid out.
As a reminder to the public, information on illicit cigarettes can be provided to Customs either:
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(a)
by telephoning the 24-hour hotline 2545 6182;
(b)
by fax on 2543 4942 (24 hours);
(c)
by making a 'customs crime report' which is available at any Customs Office or District Office;
(d)
(e)
by post to the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department (GPO Box 1166); or
by reporting in person at any Customs and Excise Office.