Officers of the Customs and Excise Department spare no effort to deter dangerous drugs from being smuggled into Hong Kong, a Customs spokesman said today (April 28).

To effectively detect cross-boundary drug-trafficking activities, Hong Kong Customs officers make use of advanced drug detection devices and maintain close exchange of intelligence with their Mainland and overseas counterparts.

The department has reiterated its determination to combat drug smuggling by cracking five cases of drug-trafficking at the Hong Kong International Airport on April 25 and 26, with seizure of drugs with a retail value of about $1.12 million and arrest of five persons.

On April 25, Customs officers of the Airport Command intercepted at the Hong Kong International Airport four passengers arriving from India for examination. As a result, they seized a total of four kilograms of cannabis resin concealed underneath the insoles of shoes, with a market value of $288,000.

On the following day (April 26), Customs officers inspected a passenger who had arrived from Ethiopia. Inside a concealed compartment of a suitcase, officers found 1.47 kilograms of cocaine. The seized drugs had a market value of about $830,000.

Including the eight cases detected between March 26 and April 22, Hong Kong Customs had cracked 13 drug-trafficking cases at the Hong Kong International Airport from late March.

Between March 26 and April 22, Customs officers of the Airport Command and the Customs Drug Investigation Bureau seized 18 kilograms of heroin, and arrested two Filipinos and six Africans in eight drug smuggling cases. The drugs had an estimated retail value of $10.6 million.

Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, drug trafficking is a serious offence. The maximum penalty is up to life imprisonment and a fine of $5 million.

Ends/Monday, April 28, 2008