Hong Kong customs arrested two inbound air passengers travelling from Thailand on July 16 after officers allegedly discovered about 21 kilogrammes of cannabis concealed in their checked baggage at Hong Kong International Airport.
Hong Kong Customs said the first accused is a 50 year old Chinese man, while the second is a 19 year old Malaysian man. Both travelled from Bangkok, Thailand, via Manila in the Philippines before arriving in Hong Kong.
Customs officers allegedly found about 10 kilogrammes of cannabis, with an estimated market value of 1.9 million yuan, in the baggage of one passenger. A further 11 kilogrammes of cannabis, valued at about 2 million yuan, was allegedly discovered in the luggage of the second passenger.
According to Hong Kong Customs, the combined seizure totalled about 21 kilogrammes of suspected cannabis with an estimated market value of 3.9 million yuan, or about 18 million baht.
The two accused have been charged with trafficking in a dangerous drug and were scheduled to appear before the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts yesterday, July 18.
Hong Kong Customs said it has recently intercepted several inbound passengers allegedly attempting to smuggle cannabis into the city, with many of those travellers arriving from Thailand.
Thai officials have repeatedly warned travellers against taking cannabis or other controlled items out of Thailand in violation of export controls.
Hong Kong Customs also reiterated that trafficking in dangerous drugs is a serious offence. TravelNews reported that under Hong Kong law, the maximum penalty is a fine of 5 million yuan and life imprisonment.
In similar news, a cannabis haul in Taiwan led to the arrest of a Hong Kong Airlines worker and a Thai woman at Taoyuan International Airport after authorities allegedly found more than 45 kilogrammes of cannabis worth around 90 million Taiwanese dollars (approximately 94 million baht).
The story Hong Kong arrests two arrivals from Bangkok over cannabis haul as seen on Thaiger News.
