Hong Kong Customs yesterday (July 8) detected an incoming passenger drug trafficking case at the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal and seized about 6.3 kilograms of suspected cocaine with an estimated market value of about $6.9 million.
A 26-year-old male passenger yesterday arrived in Macao from Istanbul, Türkiye via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and then took the ferry to Hong Kong. During customs clearance, Customs officers found four cans of cookies in his hand-carried plastic bag. Each can of cookies contained suspected cocaine, weighing about 6.3kg in total. The man was subsequently arrested.
An investigation is ongoing.
Following the resumption of normal travel and exchanges with the Mainland and other parts of the world, the number of visitors to Hong Kong has also been increasing steadily. Customs will continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational 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) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/).
Ends/Sunday, July 9, 2023
