Reporting on its efforts to combat parallel trading, the Government said today it was concerned about the impact of such activities on people's daily lives, particularly residents of North District, Yuen Long and Tuen Mun.
Between February 2 and 8, Police and Immigration officers arrested 55 Mainlanders for parallel trading. The Immigration Department also refused entry to more than 750 people during that week.
For its part, the Customs & Excise Department busted 34 smuggling cases involving parallel traders and seized goods worth a total of $300,000. Officers also discovered 151 cases of attempts to export unlicensed powdered formula, involving 1,479 kg of milk powder.
During the week, the Fire Services Department carried out more than 440 inspections at buildings suspected of being used for parallel trading activities in Sheung Shui, Fanling and Tuen Mun. Nine fire hazard abatement notices were issued and prosecution was initiated in three cases.
The Lands Department also conducted large-scale inspections of more than 2,000 units in the three districts and issued 37 warning letters to unit owners who breached lease conditions.
To minimise the nuisance and obstruction caused by parallel traders and stores, the Police and Food & Environmental Hygiene Department jointly stepped up enforcement action at black spots, issuing 20 summonses. More than 150 fixed penalty notices were handed out to litterbugs.
Police also cracked down on road obstructions caused by illegal parking, loading or unloading of goods for parallel trading. More than 615 fixed penalty tickets were issued for those offences during the week.
