2 arrivals in Hong Kong arrested for allegedly carrying 1.4kg of suspected cocaine worth HK$1.4 million
- Customs says 36-year-old male passenger found to have concealed 55 pellets of suspected cocaine weighing about 800 grams in his body
- Second suspect is 37-year-old male passenger who discharged 48 pellets of suspected cocaine weighing about 600 grams
Two travellers who flew into Hong Kong have been arrested for allegedly carrying 1.4kg (3lbs) of suspected cocaine worth an estimated HK$1.4 million (US$178,765) concealed in their bodies.
The two men were intercepted during customs clearance at Hong Kong International Airport on Saturday after officers found them acting suspiciously and thought they could be hiding drugs.
The Customs and Excise Department said on Sunday it seized more than 100 pellets of suspected cocaine weighing 1.4kg discharged from the two passengers.
One suspect was a 36-year-old male passenger, who arrived in Hong Kong from Montego Bay, Jamaica, via Frankfurt in Germany and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday.
He was allegedly carrying 55 pellets of suspected cocaine weighing about 800 grams in his body.
The second suspect was a 37-year-old male passenger arriving from Entebbe in Uganda via Doha in Qatar on Saturday. He allegedly discharged 48 pellets of suspected cocaine weighing about 600 grams.
Both men aroused the suspicion of authorities while passing through customs on Saturday and were escorted to a hospital, where they underwent an examination.
Doctors confirmed both men had foreign objects hidden inside their bodies, according to a customs department statement, which did not specify the parts concerned.
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Both men were arrested and investigations were continuing. Authorities did not say whether the two cases were related.
The department said it would continue to select passengers from high-risk regions for screening to combat transnational drug trafficking activities, given the increasing number of visitors to Hong Kong.
Trafficking in a dangerous drug is punishable by up to life in jail and a HK$5 million fine.
Last month, a female passenger arriving at the airport was found with 1.2kg of suspected cocaine divided into 85 pellets in her body. The 38-year-old passenger travelled to Hong Kong from Harare in Zimbabwe via Addis Ababa in Ethiopia.
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In January, a 30-year-old man arriving from New York was arrested and charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug. He had discharged 116 pellets of suspected cocaine weighing about 1.3kg, according to authorities. The drugs were worth an estimated HK$1.3 million.
In 2023, customs officers at the airport arrested 100 inbound travellers and confiscated 233kg of illegal drugs with an estimated street value of HK$220 million.
