Hong Kong customs officers seized 7.7 million illicit cigarettes valued at about 11.64 million HK dollars (US$1.49 million) during a raid, a government press release said Friday.

Customs officers raid a river trade vessel with a 40-foot container which declared to be carrying 980 cartons of cookware at a container terminal Thursday. About 7.7 million illicit cigarettes with duty potential of 6.24 million HK dollars were found inside the container.

Customs investigations showed that the container had arrived Thursday for onward transshipment to Germany. No arrest has so far been made.

Under Hong Kong's Import and Export Ordinance, smuggling is a serious offence. The maximum penalty is a fine of 2 million HK dollars and a seven-year imprisonment.

(Xinhua News Agency March 12, 2005)