Hong Kong Customs yesterday (September 24) seized about 6.2 kilograms of suspected emerging ketamine (fluorodeschloroketamine), about 2 grams of suspected cannabis and a set of drug-inhaling apparatus with an estimated value of about $2.87 million in Kowloon East.
During an anti-narcotics operation conducted in Kowloon East yesterday afternoon, Customs officers intercepted a 20-year-old man at a hotel and found about 2g of suspected herbal cannabis inside a pocket of his trousers. He was then arrested.
Customs officers then conducted a search inside the hotel room occupied by the arrested man and further seized about 6.2kg of suspected fluorodeschloroketamine and a set of drug-inhaling apparatus.
The arrested man has been charged with one count of possession of a dangerous drug, one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug and one count of possession of apparatus fit and intended for the inhalation of a dangerous drug. He will appear at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts tomorrow (September 26).
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.
Under the Ordinance, cannabis and tetrahydro-cannabinol (THC) are classified as dangerous drugs. Importation of products (including food or 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 those products.
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/Friday, September 25, 2020
