The Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, started his two-day visit to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) today (May 24) in Guangzhou and Dongguan and will go to Huizhou tomorrow (May 25), to call o… read more
Police today (May 24) appealed to the public for information on a man who went missing in Wong Tai Sin. Lam Chi-hung, aged 63, went missing after he left his residence in Choi Hung Estate on May 2 af… read more
​Hong Kong Customs detected two incoming passenger drug trafficking cases at Hong Kong International Airport and seized a total of about 2.5 kilograms of suspected cocaine with an estimated market value of about $2.7 million over the past two days (May 22 and 23).
In the first case, Customs officers on May 22 intercepted at the airport a 42-year-old female passenger, who arrived in Hong Kong from Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, via Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Doha, Qatar. During Customs clearance, Customs officers found her to be suspicious, and suspected that she had dangerous drugs concealed inside her body cavity. The woman was then escorted to the hospital for examination.
Upon examination, Customs officers confirmed that foreign objects were concealed inside her body cavity on the same day. The woman was arrested immediately. As at 6pm today (May 24), the arrested woman has excreted 127 pellets of suspected cocaine weighing about 1kg in total. The estimated market value was about $1.1 million.
In the second case, Customs officers yesterday intercepted at the airport a 68-year-old female passenger arriving in Hong Kong from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, via Doha, Qatar. During Customs clearance on her, Customs officers found about 1.5kg of suspected cocaine, with an estimated market value of about $1.6 million, concealed inside the false compartments of her hand-carry baggage. The woman was subsequently arrested.
The arrested woman of the first case has been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug. The case will be brought up at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts tomorrow (May 25). For the second case, 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).
The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Housing Authority:
The Hong Kong Housing Authority (HA) Subsidised Housing Committee endorsed today (May 24) the implementation of measures to enhance the Marking Scheme for Estate Management Enforcement in Public Housing Estates by increasing penalty points for nine misdeed items related to environmental hygiene, public safety and serious breach of tenancy agreement; and widening the scope of two misdeed items related to environmental hygiene and/or serious breaches of tenancy agreement.
“To tie in with the Government’s proposal to raise the level of fixed penalty for offences related to public cleanliness and obstruction, we have conducted a review on the Marking Scheme and will adopt enhanced measures with a view to providing a safe and hygienic living environment for public rental housing (PRH) residents,” a spokesman for the HA said.
The enhanced measures will take effect in the fourth quarter of 2023. For the revised list of Misdeeds under the Marking Scheme, please see the Annex.
The penalty points of the following nine misdeed items will be increased:
The Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, visited industrial infrastructure on the third day of his visit in Singapore today (May 24).
Professor Sun paid a visit to JTC Corporation, a lead government agency responsible for the development of industrial land and infrastructure to support and catalyse the growth of new industries and enterprises in Singapore, and received a detailed briefing on the corporation’s various landmark projects, latest efforts in spearheading sustainable industrial development, and breakthroughs from public-private research collaborations.
Professor Sun then toured JTC Corporation’s One-north, positioned as a national hub for research and development, which is a vibrant research and business park that houses well-known leading companies from sectors such as biomedical sciences, advanced manufacturing and science and research institutes. A mixed-use estate occupying an area of 200 hectares and divided into eight thematic precincts, the hub can provide a reference for the Government’s planning of the San Tin Technopole of the Northern Metropolis that is of a similar scale.
He also visited Biopolis, one of the precincts of One-north, which supports the biomedical industry as Singapore’s engine of economic growth, where he learned about the conducive environment provided to drug discovery and medical technology research.
Professor Sun concluded his visit and will return to Hong Kong later tonight.
