Hong Kong Customs detects dangerous drug case at airport
Hong Kong Customs yesterday (April 22) detected a dangerous drug case and seized a total of about 10 kilograms of suspected ketamine with a total estimated market value of about $3.9 million at Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA).
Customs yesterday inspected an air consignment, declared as cable and arriving in Hong Kong from the Netherlands, at HKIA. Upon inspection, Customs officers found the batch of suspected ketamine concealed underneath the wire of a cable reel in the consignment.
After a follow-up investigation, Customs officers conducted a controlled delivery operation yesterday and arrested a 49-year-old male consignee in Sheung Wan.
The arrested man has been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug. The case will be brought up at the Eastern Magistrates' Courts tomorrow (April 24).
Customs will continue to step up enforcement against drug trafficking activities through intelligence analysis. The department also reminds members of the public to stay alert and not to participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary return. They must not accept hiring or delegation from another party to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong. They are also reminded not to carry unknown items for other people, nor to release their personal data or home address to others for receiving parcels or goods.
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 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 dangerous drug case at airport Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Hong Kong Customs detects dangerous drug case at airport Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
HKSARG Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Departments delegation calls on leaders of Sichuan Province
A delegation of Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Departments of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government on a national affairs study led by the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, called on the Secretary of the Communist Party of China Sichuan Provincial Committee and the Chairman of the Standing Committee of Sichuan Provincial People's Congress, Mr Wang Xiaohui, this afternoon (April 23).
Vice Governor of the People's Government of Sichuan Province Mr Hu Yun, and the Director of Bureau II of the Hong Kong and Macao Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, Mr Chen Jiguang, along with leaders from several provincial-level authorities, also attended.
Mrs Yeung expressed her gratitude to the leaders of the Sichuan Provincial Government for meeting and exchanging views with the delegation. She noted that Chengdu is a major national high-tech industrial base, a technology and innovation centre and a commerce and logistics hub, as well as an important central city in western China. This visit has enabled the Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Departments of the HKSAR Government to understand Chengdu's latest development achievements under the national strategies. The practical achievements that Chengdu showcased in various fields have provided the delegation with valuable reference and inspiration.
The Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Departments took this precious opportunity to exchange views with relevant departments of the Chengdu Municipal People's Government on the work of Chengdu's 15th five-year plan. The exchange meeting was chaired by member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Chengdu Municipal Committee and Vice Mayor of Chengdu Municipal People's Government Mr Zhao Jian. The Chengdu Municipal Development and Reform Commission, in the attendance of heads from various authorities, presented the situation of the city's 15th five-year plan covering the economy and informatisation; education; ecology and environment; ports and logistics; commerce; culture, radio, television and tourism; health; sports and science and technology.
In addition, the Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Departments conducted on-site visits to various locations to observe local developments in innovation and technology, the low-altitude economy and the revitalisation of old factory buildings for cultural tourism.
They learned about the city's development journey, overall planning and future blueprint at the Chengdu Planning Exhibition Hall.
In the morning, they also toured the National Supercomputing Center in Chengdu, the first of its kind in the western China, which currently provides computing support to over 30 cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Shenzhen for applications including AI, aerospace, new materials and nuclear energy and technology.
The delegation also visited Sichuan Aerofugia Technology Development Company Limited, a leading domestic aircraft enterprise in the low-altitude economy, to learn about the research, development and airworthiness of low-altitude smart aircraft.
Furthermore, they visited Eastern Suburb Memory, an international fashion industrial park in Chengdu. It was built on the site of the former Hongguang Electronic Tube Factory, and has now been turned into a multicultural zone for a variety of cultural activities including music, arts, drama and photography. It hosts a wide range of cultural events and provides employment opportunities for thousands of people.
The Permanent Secretaries and Heads of Departments tomorrow (April 24) will visit a high-tech industrial development zone and several locations to learn about cultural tourism development, etc.
