Hong Kong Customs Seizes About 4.5 kg Suspected Liquid Cocaine and 15.4 kg Suspected Ketamine, Arrests Two Passengers

Hong Kong Customs detects two drug trafficking cases involving incoming passengers at airport

Hong Kong Customs yesterday (November 6) and today (November 7) detected two drug trafficking cases involving incoming passengers at Hong Kong International Airport, and seized a total of about 4.5 kilograms of suspected liquid cocaine and 15.4 kilograms of suspected ketamine, with a total estimated market value of about $9 million. A man and a woman were arrested.

In the first case, a Spanish male passenger, aged 36, arrived in Hong Kong from Madrid, Spain, via Seoul, South Korea, yesterday. During customs clearance, Customs officers found the batch of suspected liquid cocaine, concealed in three wine bottles, inside his check-in baggage. He was subsequently arrested.

In the second case, a British female passenger, aged 44, arrived in Hong Kong from Frankfurt, Germany, today. During Customs clearance, Customs officers found the batch of suspected ketamine inside her check-in baggage. She was subsequently arrested.

The arrested man in 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 on November 9. The investigation of the second case is ongoing.

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.

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 yesterday (November 6) and today (November 7) detected two drug trafficking cases involving incoming air passengers at Hong Kong International Airport, and seized a total of about 4.5 kilograms of suspected liquid cocaine and 15.4 kilograms of suspected ketamine, with a total estimated market value of about $9 million. A man and a woman were arrested. Photo shows the suspected ketamine seized in the second case. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Hong Kong Customs yesterday (November 6) and today (November 7) detected two drug trafficking cases involving incoming air passengers at Hong Kong International Airport, and seized a total of about 4.5 kilograms of suspected liquid cocaine and 15.4 kilograms of suspected ketamine, with a total estimated market value of about $9 million. A man and a woman were arrested. Photo shows the suspected liquid cocaine seized in the first case. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Hong Kong Customs seizes dried shark fins of suspected scheduled endangered species

Hong Kong Customs yesterday (November 7) seized about 31 kilograms of suspected scheduled dried shark fins of endangered species, with an estimated market value of about $130,000, at Hong Kong International Airport.

A 51-year-old Mainland female passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Brazil via Ethiopia yesterday. She was intercepted for customs clearance at the arrivals hall of the airport. Customs officers found the batch of suspected scheduled dried shark fins inside her check-in baggage. Upon inspection by officers of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), the batch of dried shark fins was suspected to be from endangered species listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and regulated under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. 586) in Hong Kong. The woman was subsequently arrested by the Customs officers. The case was handed over to the AFCD for follow-up investigation.

The arrested woman has been charged by the AFCD with one count of illegal import of an Appendix II species.

Under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance, any person importing, exporting or possessing specimens of endangered species not in accordance with the Ordinance commits an offence and will be liable to a maximum fine of $10 million and imprisonment for 10 years upon conviction with the specimens forfeited.

Members of the public may report any suspected smuggling 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 seizes dried shark fins of suspected scheduled endangered species Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases