Hong Kong boy, 14, prosecuted over illegal advertising for smoking products as part of clampdown
- Youngster caught distributing ‘huge stack’ of smoking advertising leaflets from his backpack by Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office staff
- Two-part operation involves high-profile patrols in housing estates, as well as undercover work to snare offenders, with other agencies
A 14-year-old Hong Kong boy has become the youngest offender to be prosecuted for illegal tobacco advertising after watchdogs launched a clampdown on illegal activity related to smoking, authorities have revealed.
The boy was caught distributing leaflets advertising smoking products, which is illegal, by staff from the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office as part of a two-phase operation designed to combat illicit trading, officials said on Monday.
“We were quite shocked too when we found him – he had a huge stack of leaflets in his backpack,” the office’s Principal Inspector Neil Chan Tat-ming said.
The first phase of the operation, which started in January, involved tobacco and alcohol officials working with staff from the Housing Department as well as the Customs and Excise Department to mount high-profile patrols at public housing estates.
They have so far covered 52 public housing estates.
