Hong Kong Customs seizes suspected cocaine worth about $880,000 (with photo)
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Hong Kong Customs yesterday (September 5) seized about 1 kilogram of suspected cocaine with an estimated market value of about $880,000 at Hong Kong International Airport.
A 64-year-old female passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, yesterday. During customs clearance, the batch of suspected cocaine was found concealed inside buttons on several pieces of clothes in her checked-in suitcase. The woman was then arrested.
The arrested woman has been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug and will appear at West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts tomorrow (September 7).
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).