Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Hong Kong Customs detects three incoming passenger drug trafficking cases at airport
The first case involved a 30-year-old Brazilian male passenger arriving in Hong Kong from Sao Paulo, Brazil, via Doha, Qatar, yesterday. During Customs clearance, about 2.85kg of suspected cocaine were found in his check-in baggage. The male was subsequently arrested.
The subsequent two cases involved a 23-year-old Malaysian male passenger and a 27-year-old Chinese female passenger respectively. They arrived in Hong Kong from Rome, Italy, today. During customs clearance, Customs officers separately seized from their checked-in suitcases a batch of suspected ketamine weighing about 25kg with an estimated market value of approximately $9.5 million, and another batch weighing about 4kg with an estimated market value of approximately $1.6 million. The two persons were subsequently arrested.
The arrested person in the first case has been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug and the case will be brought up at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts tomorrow (June 22), while investigations of the remaining two cases are ongoing.
Customs will continue to step up enforcement against drug trafficking activities through intelligence analysis. The department also reminds members of the public to stay alert and not to participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary return. They must not accept hiring or delegation from another party to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong. They are also reminded not to carry unknown items for other people.
Customs will also continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions for clearance to combat transnational drug trafficking activities.Issued at HKT 22:45
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