Hong Kong Customs presses charge on man suspected of money laundering activities related to online sale of counterfeit goods

Date: 08/06/2022

Hong Kong Customs yesterday (June 7) laid a charge under the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance (OSCO) against a 23-year-old man with one count of "dealing with property known or believed to represent proceeds of indictable offence" (commonly known as money laundering).


From September to December 2019, the man was suspected of using a personal account opened at a Hong Kong bank to receive about $670,000 obtained from the sale of counterfeit goods online on behalf of another person. After deducting the remuneration, he transferred the remaining money to a third party account.


After investigation, the Syndicate Crimes Investigation Bureau of Customs arrested him in October 2020.


The case will be mentioned at Eastern Magistrates' Courts on June 16.


Customs will continue investigating the case. The likelihood of further arrests is not excluded.


Under the OSCO, a person commits an offence if he or she deals with any property knowing or having reasonable grounds to believe that such property in whole or in part directly or indirectly represents any person's proceeds of an indictable offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and imprisonment for 14 years while the crime proceeds are also subject to confiscation.


Members of the public may report any suspected money laundering activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).

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