Hong Kong Customs Seizes Space Oil Drug and Illicit Cigarettes from Incoming Passenger

Hong Kong Customs detects case involving possession of suspected "space oil drug" and suspected illicit cigarettes by incoming passenger at West Kowloon Station of XRL

Hong Kong Customs yesterday (January 4) detected one case involving possession of etomidate (the main ingredient of "space oil drug"), a kind of Part 1 poison under the Pharmacy and Poisons Regulations, and violation of the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance by an incoming passenger at the West Kowloon Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL). A total of one bottle of suspected "space oil drug" liquid and 189 sticks of duty-not-paid cigarettes were seized.

A 27-year-old male passenger arrived in Hong Kong via the West Kowloon Station of the XRL yesterday. During customs clearance, one bottle of suspected "space oil drug" and 189 sticks of duty-not-paid cigarettes were found in his travel bag. He was subsequently arrested.

The arrested man has been charged with one count of possession of Part 1 Poison, one count of "possession of goods to which the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance applies" and one count of failing to declare to a member of the Customs and Excise Service. The case will be brought up at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts tomorrow (January 6).

Under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance, any person who possesses any poison included in Part 1 of the Poisons List other than in accordance with provisions commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $100,000 and imprisonment for two years.

Under the Dutiable Commodities Ordinance, anyone involved in dealing with, possession of, selling or buying illicit cigarettes commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $1 million and imprisonment for two years.

Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking or illicit cigarette activities to Customs' 24-hour report hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Hong Kong Customs detects case involving possession of suspected "space oil drug" and suspected illicit cigarettes by incoming passenger at West Kowloon Station of XRL Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Hong Kong Customs detects case involving possession of suspected "space oil drug" and suspected illicit cigarettes by incoming passenger at West Kowloon Station of XRL Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Trade instructed to temporarily suspend importing and selling certain batches of raw oysters from French brand Josephine

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department today (April 8) instructed the trade to suspend the import of raw oysters from French brand Josephine produced and packed between March 5 and 25, 2026. The trade should also immediately stop using or selling the batches of the product concerned produced and packed during this period should they possess any of them.

A spokesman for the CFS said, "The CFS received a notification from the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed of the European Commission on suspected gastroenteritis cases in the Netherlands that may be related to consumption of raw oysters from French brand Josephine produced and packed between March 5 and 25, 2026. For the sake of prudence, the CFS has immediately instructed the trade to temporarily suspend the import into and sale within Hong Kong of the raw oysters concerned. As a precautionary measure, the brand concerned has voluntarily removed from shelves the raw oysters concerned. So far, the CFS has not received any referral cases of food poisoning or food complaint related to ingestion of the raw oysters concerned."

The spokesman said the trade should also stop selling the raw oysters from French brand Josephine produced and packed during the above-mentioned period if they possess them. The CFS has also stepped up the collection of raw oyster samples for testing.

The spokesman pointed out that as oysters feed by filtering a large volume of seawater, pathogens can accumulate in them if they are grown in or harvested from contaminated water. Raw or partially cooked oysters are high-risk foods. Susceptible groups, such as pregnant women, young children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems or liver diseases, should avoid eating raw oysters.

The CFS has informed the French authorities and also notified the local trade. It will continue to follow up on the incident and take appropriate action to safeguard food safety and public health. An investigation is ongoing.

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