​Hong Kong Customs on October 27 detected a dangerous drugs internal concealment case involving an incoming passenger at Hong Kong International Airport and seized about 720 grams of suspected cocaine with an estimated market value of about $770,000.
A female passenger, aged 30, arrived in Hong Kong from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on that day. During customs clearance, Customs officers suspected that the passenger had dangerous drugs concealed inside her body cavity. She was then escorted to the hospital for examination.
Upon examination, the female passenger was confirmed by a doctor to have foreign objects concealed inside her body cavity. The woman was arrested immediately. As at 2pm today (October 29), the arrested person has discharged 60 pellets of suspected cocaine weighing about 720g in total.
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, October 29, 2023
