ENG-2018 — Page 322

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Public Order

manufactured, are released for local consumption unless full duty has been paid. During the 2017-18 financial year, the department collected $10.7 billion in excise duties, a 4 per cent increase from 2016-17.

The department assesses the taxable values of motor vehicles under the Motor Vehicles (First) Registration Tax) Ordinance, resulting in the collection of $8.6 billion first registration tax by the Transport Department in 2017-18, during which 61,135 motor vehicles were first registered.

The Customs and Excise Department takes sustained enforcement action against illicit cigarette activities on all fronts and cooperates with Mainland and overseas customs authorities to stamp out cross-boundary cigarette smuggling through intelligence exchange.

In 2018, the department solved 13,582 cases involving the smuggling, storage, distribution and peddling of illicit cigarettes, a 71 per cent increase from 2017, and seized 53.4 million illicit cigarettes. Among these cases, fines were imposed on 11,159 people, a year-on-year increase of 75 per cent, for bringing into Hong Kong a total of 2.6 million cigarettes in excess of their duty- free concession.

The department takes sustained action to stamp out illicit fuel activities. In 2018, it solved 31 illicit fuel cases, arrested 45 people and seized 96,500 litres of illicit fuel. The number of cases was 11 per cent lower than in 2017.

Anti-narcotics Operations

The department takes vigorous enforcement action to prevent and suppress the unlawful manufacture, distribution and trafficking of dangerous drugs; to trace, confiscate and recover drug proceeds from illegal drug activities; and to prevent the diversion of chemicals used for the illicit manufacture of dangerous drugs. To combat cross-boundary drug trafficking, the department deploys officers and detector dogs flexibly to boundary control points to strengthen enforcement, and maintains close cooperation, exchanges intelligence and mounts joint operations with local, Mainland and overseas law enforcement agencies. A mechanism of communication and intelligence exchange with the logistics industry is in place to strengthen enforcement on the import and export of cargoes.

In 2018, the department dealt with 222 drug trafficking cases, smashed 14 storage and distribution centres and five manufacturing and attenuating centres, seized 1,352kg of assorted dangerous drugs2 and arrested 393 people. Cross-boundary enforcement cooperation led to the seizure of 1,338kg of assorted dangerous drugs and the arrest of 39 people in the Mainland and overseas.

As part of the government's efforts in combating youth drug abuse, the department works with NGOs to encourage young people to stay away from drugs and lead a healthy life.

2

Not including 868kg of khat, which contains substances subject to control under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance.

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