​Hong Kong Customs yesterday (June 29) detected a dangerous drugs internal concealment case at Hong Kong International Airport and seized about 1.3 kilograms of suspected cocaine with an estimated market value of about $1.2 million.
A 35-year-old male passenger and a 35-year-old female passenger arrived in Hong Kong from São Paulo, Brazil, via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday. They were found to be suspicious upon customs clearance and were suspected to have dangerous drugs concealed inside their body cavities. The two of them were then escorted to hospital for examination and later discharged the batch of suspected cocaine. They were arrested by Customs officers subsequently.
An investigation is ongoing.
Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment strategy to select inbound, outbound and transit passengers for clearance to intercept different kinds of drug trafficking activities.
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.
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/Thursday, June 30, 2022
