Hong Kong Customs yesterday (October 3) detected a passenger drug trafficking case at Hong Kong International Airport and seized about 2.4 kilograms of suspected cocaine with an estimated market value of about $2.5 million.
A 26-year-old male passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, yesterday. During customs clearance, about 2.4kg of suspected cocaine, which was camouflaged as 60 packets of agar-agar powder, was found in his checked-in luggage. 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/Wednesday, October 4, 2023
