Hong Kong Customs seized about 16.3 kilograms of suspected cannabis buds with an estimated market value of about $3.8 million at Hong Kong International Airport on October 26. A 16-year-old man was arrested in Tuen Mun yesterday (October 29).
Customs officers inspected an air parcel declared as energy bars that arrived at the airport from Canada on that day. The suspected cannabis buds were found inside 16 energy bar packing boxes.
A follow-up investigation led to the arrest made yesterday in Tuen Mun.
The arrested man has been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug. He will appear at the Shatin Magistrates' Courts tomorrow (October 31).
Customs will continue to maintain close contact with Hongkong Post and the logistics industries to step up action against drug trafficking through postal parcels or express courier channels.
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, October 30, 2020
