​Hong Kong Customs yesterday (January 9) detected a passenger drug trafficking case involving baggage concealment at Hong Kong International Airport and seized about 1 kilogram of suspected cocaine with an estimated market value of about $1 million. A man was arrested.
A 29-year-old male passenger arrived in Hong Kong from London, the United Kingdom, yesterday. During customs clearance, Customs officers found the batch of cocaine concealed in the interlinings of the front and back covers of a book and in a plastic bottle inside his check-in baggage. He was subsequently arrested.
An investigation is ongoing.
Following the increasing number of visitors to Hong Kong, 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, January 10, 2024
