Hong Kong Customs yesterday (April 19) foiled a drug trafficking attempt by a passenger at Hong Kong International Airport and seized about 4.6 kilogrammes of cocaine soaked in cotton, with an estimated street value of about $5.2 million. A 46-year-old man was arrested in the operation.
Customs officers yesterday afternoon intercepted the passenger arriving from Bogota, Colombia, in the airport's arrival hall. With the assistance of a Customs drug detector dog, the officers found the cocaine soaked in cotton concealed inside the false compartment of the passenger's checked-in travel bag.
The arrested man, who claimed to be a craftsman, will be charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug and will appear at the Tsuen Wan Magistrates' Court tomorrow (April 21).
Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, drug trafficking is a serious offence. The maximum penalty is life imprisonment and a fine of $5 million.
Ends/Friday, April 20, 2012
