The arrested, 43, claimed she was a homemaker and arrived in Hong Kong for "traveling" from São Paulo, Brazil, via Doha, Qatar, during the arrest yesterday.

According to Leung Chi-pang, Senior inspector of the Customs’ Drug Investigation Group, officers found two unusually weighted empty pieces of luggage - a hand-carried suitcase and a briefcase - that the woman carried during the clearance.

Officers conducted an X-ray inspection of the luggage and found six packs of cocaine weighing three kilograms inside.

The woman is now in custody pending further investigation.

"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," Leung said.

He added that trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offense and can lead to a penalty for anyone convicted with a maximum of HK$5 million and life imprisonment.