Court Proceeding on Alleged Smuggling of Over 95,000 E-cigarettes by Former Taipei Customs

According to a report from the United News Network of Taiwan on May 23, Huang, a former pre-inspection officer at the Zhubei Branch of the Taipei Customs Office, is accused of leaking the scheduling of X-ray machine inspections to freight and customs brokers, assisting in smuggling over 95,000 IQOS e-cigarettes. This case is currently undergoing its first court preparatory procedure at the Taoyuan District Court.

Huang and a delivery worker surnamed Yan denied involvement in the case, while the other 12 freight and customs brokers admitted guilt and requested leniency from the court. The judge, after conducting an investigation, stated that further preparations for the trial will take place on the afternoon of July 10th.

Huang denied the prosecutors' allegations that he assisted in the smuggling of goods by 5 freight forwarders, stating that he did not provide schedules to anyone and did not receive requests from 12 other freight and customs industry professionals. He also claimed to have no knowledge of the smuggled goods being e-cigarettes. In addition, Yan denied the allegations and his defense lawyer argued that IQOS e-cigarettes are not listed as regulated products under the amended Tobacco and Alcohol Administration Law, therefore requesting clarification on whether e-cigarettes are considered private tobacco under the law and requesting the summoning of other industry professionals to testify in court.

The Taiwan Customs Administration discovered a large number of unreported e-cigarettes successfully cleared customs in October 2022. The agency deemed the situation to be serious and requested mutual inspections by the customs and inspection departments. Upon reviewing enforcement images, the agency found that a significant number of e-cigarettes had indeed passed through the X-ray machines, and all were cleared during the shift of employee Huang. As a result, the Customs Administration suspects Huang of potentially allowing private e-cigarettes to clear customs without authorization.

Further investigation revealed that Mr. Huang did not open and inspect the package after learning that e-cigarettes are regulated products. He allegedly provided the inspection schedule to customs brokers in order to profit from companies such as Dongqing, Fanxi, Xihe, Huigao, and e-cigarette suppliers. He then used misleading names such as cushion, stationery, and storage rack to declare the goods, allowing the e-cigarettes to pass through customs.

It is reported that during Huang's term of office from September to October 2022, an estimated 74,000 e-cigarettes are expected to enter the market. Due to Huang's denial of the charges and the large quantity of e-cigarettes involved, the prosecution has requested the court to impose a heavy sentence.