​Hong Kong Customs on November 28 detected an incoming passenger drug trafficking case at Hong Kong International Airport and seized about 580 grams of suspected heroin with an estimated market value of about $460,000.
A 31-year-old male passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on that day. During customs clearance, Customs officers found 15 pieces of suspected heroin with a total weight of about 420g strapped around his body. He was also suspected to have foreign objects concealed inside his body cavity. The man was thus arrested immediately and escorted to the hospital for examination.
Upon examination, a doctor confirmed that foreign objects were concealed inside the passenger's body cavity. As at 1pm today (November 30), the arrested person has discharged 31 pellets of suspected heroin weighing about 160g in total.
A holding charge with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug has been laid against the arrested man. The case will be brought up at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts tomorrow (December 1).
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/Thursday, November 30, 2023
