A transnational cigarette smuggling attempt was foiled in Hong Kong, 13 million illicit cigarettes seized and one man arrested, according to news from the Information Services Department of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government on Saturday.

It was the largest seizure in Hong Kong this year, the news said.

The customs officers on Friday inspected two containers in Kwai Chung in the New Territories. The containers' declarations said they were carrying wooden furniture from a ship from Malaysia.

However, the officers found 1,292 boxes of duty-not-paid cigarettes inside, worth 18 million Hong Kong dollars (about US$2.31 million) with a duty potential of 10 million Hong Kong dollars (about US$1.29 million).

A 36-year-old freight-transport company director was arrested in the operation. Hong Kong Customs believed the cigarettes were destined for Europe.

(Xinhua News Agency September 9, 2007)