Hong Kong Customs yesterday (January 21) detected a drug trafficking case involving baggage concealment at Hong Kong International Airport. About 4.2 kilograms of suspected heroin with an estimated market value of about $3.3 million was seized.
A local man, aged 28, arrived in Hong Kong from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, yesterday. During customs clearance, the batch of suspected heroin was seized from four boxes of food items inside his checked baggage. 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/Monday, January 22, 2024
