Hong Kong Customs yesterday (August 18) seized about 60 kilograms of suspected cannabis buds with an estimated market value of about $17 million at Hong Kong International Airport.
Customs officers inspected an air cargo consignment arriving in Hong Kong from the Unites States at Hong Kong International Airport yesterday and found the batch of suspected cannabis buds concealed inside four metal boxes.
After follow-up investigation, Customs officers arrested a 22-year-old man suspected to be in connection with the case in Fo Tan on the same day. About 1 gram of suspected cannabis buds and a set of suspected drug-smoking apparatus were found respectively in the consignee address involved in the case and in the man’s possession. Customs officers then escorted the arrested man to a residential premises in Sheung Shui for a search and further seized about 0.5g of suspected herbal cannabis and a set of suspected drug-smoking apparatus.
The arrested man has been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug, two counts of possession of a dangerous drug and two counts of possession of apparatus fit and intended for the smoking of a dangerous drug. He will appear at Shatin Magistrates' Courts tomorrow (August 20).
Customs will continue to step up enforcement actions against drug trafficking activities through air cargo, postal parcel and express courier channels, as well as maintain close contact with Hongkong Post and the logistics industries, with a view to intercepting the inflow of drugs to Hong Kong.
Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.
Customs also reminds that cannabis and tetrahydro-cannabinol (THC) are classified as dangerous drugs under the Ordinance. Importation of products (including food and drinks) containing cannabis or THC into Hong Kong is prohibited unless the relevant provisions in the Ordinance are complied with. In order to avoid breaching the law inadvertently, special attention should be paid to the packaging labels of food and drinks.
Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).
Ends/Wednesday, August 19, 2020
