Hong Kong airport drug busts net five arrests
SingTao · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong Customs said it broke up three suspected passenger drug trafficking cases at Hong Kong International Airport on September 8 and 9, arresting five people after seizing suspected ketamine, suspected cannabis buds, two suspected alternative smoking products and one duty-unpaid cigarette. The haul included about 30 kilograms of suspected ketamine and about 14.3 kilograms of suspected cannabis buds, with an estimated total market value of more than HK$15 million.
Key Points
- In the first case on September 8, two mainland Chinese male passengers aged 39 and 45 arrived from Bangkok via Manila, and customs found about 11 kilograms of suspected cannabis buds in two checked bags
- Another report gave the first suspect's age as 29 rather than 39, while also saying both men were mainland Chinese passengers arriving from Bangkok via Manila with the same 11-kilogram cannabis seizure
- In the second case on September 9, a 36-year-old British woman arrived from London via Abu Dhabi, and officers found about 30 kilograms of suspected ketamine plus two suspected alternative smoking products in checked and cabin baggage.
- In the third case on September 9, two mainland Chinese men aged 24 and 26 arrived separately from Xiamen and Bangkok, and officers found about 3.3 kilograms of suspected cannabis buds and one duty-unpaid cigarette in the younger man's luggage.
- The two men arrested in the first case have been jointly charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug and are due to appear at West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts on September 10, while the other two cases remain under investigation.
Why It Matters
The cases show customs is continuing to focus airport screening on passengers arriving from routes it considers higher risk, using intelligence analysis and risk management to target cross-border drug trafficking. For Hong Kong travellers, the enforcement message is that carrying controlled items for others can lead to severe penalties, including a maximum HK$5 million fine and life imprisonment for drug trafficking, while importing alternative smoking products can carry up to seven years' jail and a HK$2 million fine.