​Hong Kong Customs yesterday (December 9) detected two drug trafficking cases involving internal concealment and baggage concealment respectively at Hong Kong International Airport. About 5.75 kilograms of suspected cocaine were seized with a total estimated market value of about $6.3 million.
The first case involved a 42-year-old female passenger who arrived in Hong Kong from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, via Doha, Qatar, yesterday. 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, a doctor confirmed that foreign objects were concealed inside her body cavity. She was arrested immediately. As at 11am today (December 10), the arrested person has discharged 41 pellets of suspected cocaine weighing about 750 grams in total.
The second case involved a 38-year-old male passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, yesterday. During Customs clearance, Customs officers found about 5kg of suspected cocaine concealed in 49 packets of drink powder inside his check-in baggage. The man was subsequently arrested.
The arrested woman in the first case has been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug. The case will be brought up at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts tomorrow (December 11). In the second case, 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, December 10, 2023
