Hong Kong Customs yesterday (May 12) mounted an operation codenamed "Sabre" and successfully detected a suspected money laundering case involving about $11.3 million in illicit cigarette proceeds, subsequent to a follow-up investigation into a suspected illicit cigarette storage case identified earlier this year. Two men and one woman suspected to be connected with the case were arrested. In January this year, Customs raided a suspected illicit cigarette storage facility in

Two local women were convicted of "dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable offence" (commonly known as money laundering) of about HK$280 million of proceeds of crime by means of cross-boundary transportation of large quantities of cash to Hong Kong, in contravention of the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance (OSCO), and were sentenced to 58 months' and 36 months' imprisonment respectively at the District Court today (May 7). This is the

Hong Kong Customs today (April 9) detected a case involving a local company that conducted a cash transaction for a watch containing precious metals and stones valued at over HK$120,000, while not being a Category B registrant under the Dealers in Precious Metals and Stones Regulatory Regime. The company director was arrested. The investigation is ongoing. The arrested person has been released on bail. According to the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ord

The Hong Kong International Diamond, Gem & Pearl Show is being held at AsiaWorld-Expo from today (March 2) for five consecutive days. Hong Kong Customs reminds exhibitors that, according to the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance (Cap. 615), unless exempted, any person who is seeking to carry on a business of dealing in precious metals and stones and engage in any transaction(s) (whether making or receiving a payment) with a total value at or above

Hong Kong Customs yesterday (February 3) detected a case involving a local company that conducted transactions of jewellery valued at over HK$120,000, without registration under the Dealers in Precious Metals and Stones Regulatory Regime. The owner of the company was arrested. The investigation is ongoing. The arrested person has been released on bail. According to the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance (Cap. 615), unless exempted, any person who

In recent years, Hong Kong Customs has noted an increasing trend in cases involving unlicensed money services provided through social media platforms. To effectively combat such illegal activities, Customs has intensified online patrols and enforcement efforts, and detected 23 cases of unlicensed money service operations and arrested 24 individuals in 2025, of which 22 cases involved the use of social media platforms. During the investigation of the unlicensed money service o

Hong Kong Customs mounted an enforcement operation codenamed "Mirage" on December 18 and 19 and successfully dismantled a money laundering syndicate. Five local persons suspected to be connected with the case were arrested. They were suspected of laundering about $8.9 billion in funds from unknown sources via fictitious trading activities. Acting upon intelligence, Customs targeted three local persons and initiated a financial investigation. It was revealed that the three per

Hong Kong Customs detected two suspected smuggling cases involving ocean-going vessels on October 27 and 31. Large batches of suspected smuggled goods with a total estimated market value of about $64 million were seized. Through intelligence analysis and risk assessment, Customs discovered that criminals intended to use ocean-going vessels to smuggle goods. Enforcement operations were thus formulated, with two suspicious containers selected for inspection. Customs inspected a