Customs officers said they arrested a 36-year-old male driver of a transportation company who was hired by drug traffickers to collect the goods at the air cargo terminal to be delivered to rural area in Yuen Long.

Through risk assessment, they inspected the air cargo consignment from Africa, which claimed to be carrying handicrafts.

Officers found the batch of suspected methamphetamine concealed inside the two African drums.

The arrested driver has been released on bail pending further investigation.

Customs said they want to remind the public not to participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary return as they may face a life sentence and HK$5 million fine upon conviction.

"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 said.

Meanwhile, Commissioner of Customs and Excise Louise Ho Pui-shan said Hong Kong and mainland customs have a consensus to combat group parallel trading activities.

Beauty products are tax-free in Hong Kong, but there is import tax for cosmetics in mainland, Ho said, adding that parallel traders aim for tax evasion by bringing cosmetics products into mainland.

"We can provide useful information to mainland authorities to follow-up from our intelligence cooperation," Ho said.

The government has increased the tobacco tax by 30 percent in the budget delivered last month, with a pack of 20 cigarettes now costing at least HK$72.

She said customs had seized between 200 million to over 700 million sticks of illicit cigarettes each year in the past three years, even though there was no additional tobacco tax.

"I think it's more related to the pandemic as delays in shipping had increased the cost, so syndicates tried to ship a large amount of illicit cigarettes to Hong Kong by sea."