​Hong Kong Customs yesterday (August 9) detected a drug trafficking case involving baggage concealment at Hong Kong International Airport. About 6.5 kilograms of suspected cocaine with an estimated market value of about $5.1 million were seized.
A 68-year-old female passenger departed from Warsaw, Poland, on August 7 and transited via Dubai of United Arab Emirates, Doha of Qatar and Hanoi of Vietnam before arriving in Hong Kong yesterday. During Customs clearance, Customs officers found a total of about 6.5kg of suspected cocaine concealed inside three stuffed toys in her carry-on suitcase. The woman 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/Saturday, August 10, 2024
