​Hong Kong Customs yesterday (July 22) seized about 13 kilograms of suspected heroin with an estimated market value of about $10 million at the Hong Kong International Airport.
A 36-year-old male passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Bangkok, Thailand yesterday. During customs clearance, Customs officers found there were 11 pieces of nylon mats inside his checked-in suitcase and the interlining of each piece of nylon mat concealed suspected heroin, weighing about 13kg 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 23, 2023
