Hong Kong Customs yesterday (April 28) detected three drug trafficking cases involving baggage concealment at Hong Kong International Airport and seized a total of about 32 kilograms of suspected methamphetamine, 27kg of suspected cannabis buds and 15kg of suspected heroin with a total estimated market value of about $37 million. Seven men were arrested.
The first case involved two male passengers, aged 46 and 25, who arrived in Hong Kong from Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday. During customs clearance, Customs officers seized about 23kg of suspected cannabis buds concealed in the check-in luggage of the 46-year-old man. The two men were subsequently arrested.
Following an investigation, the two arrested persons have been jointly charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug. They will appear at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts tomorrow (April 30).
The second case involved three male passengers, aged 29, 33 and 34, who arrived in Hong Kong from Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday. During customs clearance, Customs officers seized a total of about 32kg of suspected methamphetamine and 15kg of suspected heroin in their check-in luggage. They were subsequently arrested.
The third case involved a 35-year-old male passenger who arrived in Hong Kong from Bangkok, Thailand, yesterday. During customs clearance, Customs officers found 4kg of suspected cannabis buds in his check-in baggage. He was subsequently arrested.
Following a follow-up investigation, a 61-year-old man suspected to be connected with the case was arrested at the airport later yesterday.
Investigations of the second and third cases are ongoing.
Given 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/).
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