Hong Kong News

Nonpartisan, Noncommercial, unconstrained.
Wednesday, Mar 22, 2023

Woman flying from Madagascar to Hong Kong charged over HK$440,000 of meth in handbag

Woman flying from Madagascar to Hong Kong charged over HK$440,000 of meth in handbag

Woman, 27, was allegedly found with 780 grams of suspected narcotic after customs inspected her luggage at airport.

A 27-year-old woman flying into Hong Kong from Madagascar has been charged with drug trafficking after she was found with suspected methamphetamine worth more than HK$400,000 (US$50,980) in her handbag.

She was selected by customs officers for luggage inspection at the Hong Kong International Airport after arriving from Antananarivo in Madagascar via Addis Ababa in Ethiopia on Sunday afternoon.

“During customs clearance, customs officers found the batch of suspected methamphetamine concealed inside a false compartment of her leather handbag,” the Customs and Excise Department said on Monday.

Customs seized 780 grams of suspected methamphetamine found in the woman’s handbag.

Officers seized 780 grams (27.5 ounces) of the suspected narcotic, which had an estimated street value of HK$440,000.

The woman has been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug and will be brought before West Kowloon Court on Tuesday.

In Hong Kong, the maximum punishment for trafficking in a dangerous drug is life imprisonment and a HK$5 million fine.

She was the second incoming passenger arrested for drug trafficking at the airport this year.

On January 24, a 38-year-old man arriving from Entebbe in Uganda was arrested at the airport after HK$430,000 worth of methamphetamine was found concealed inside his underpants.

According to authorities, criminal syndicates have stepped up their use of couriers to smuggle drugs into Hong Kong after the end of pandemic curbs made travel easier.

A 63-year-old man who arrived from Brazil in May last year became the first air traveller arrested for drug trafficking since January 2021. He was among more than 10 arrivals arrested at the airport between May and December last year.

“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,” the department said.

It urged the public to report any suspected drug trafficking to its 24-hour hotline on 2545 6182.

Provisional figures show seizures of five major illegal drugs in the city – cocaine, cannabis, methamphetamine, heroin, and ketamine – rose by 55 per cent to 7.9 tonnes last year from 5.07 tonnes in 2021.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Hong Kong News
Close
0:00
0:00
Credit Suisse's Scandalous History Resulted in an Obvious Collapse - It's time for regulators who fail to do their job to be held accountable and serve as an example by being behind bars.
Goldman Sachs cuts outlook for European bank debt over Credit Suisse crisis
Paris Rioting vs Macron anti democratic law
'Sexual Fantasy' Assignment At US School Outrages Parents
The US government has charged Chinese businessman Guo Wengui with leading a $1 billion fraud scheme that cheated thousands of followers out of their money.
Credit Suisse to borrow $54 billion from Swiss central bank
The BBC problem about China
Russian Hackers Preparing New Cyber Assault Against Ukraine
"Will Fly Wherever International Law Allows": US Warns Russia After Drone Incident
If this was in Tehran, Moscow or Hong Kong
Announcing GPT-4
TRUMP: "Standing before you today, I am the only candidate who can make this promise: I will prevent World War III."
China is calling out the US, UK, and Australia on their submarine pact, claiming they are going further down a dangerous road
A brief banking situation report
We are witnessing widespread bank fails and the president just gave a 5 min speech then walked off camera.
Donald Trump's asked by Tucker Carlson question on if the U.S. should support regime change in Russia?.
'No relation to the American SVB': India's SVC Bank acts to calm depositors amid brand name confusion.
Good news: The U.S. government is now guaranteeing all deposits, held by, Silicon Valley Bank, and the funds are available as of today
Silicon Valley Bank exec was Lehman Brothers CFO
In a potential last-ditch effort, HSBC is considering a rescue deal to save Silicon Valley Bank UK from insolvency
Saudi Arabia has announced a major breakthrough in diplomacy with Iran after two years of intense talks
Elon Musk Is Planning To Build A Town In Texas For His Employees
The Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse effect is spreading around the world, affecting startup companies across the globe
City officials in Berlin announced on Thursday that all swimmers at public pools will soon be allowed to swim topless
Fitness scam
Market Chaos as USDC Loses Peg to USD after $3.3 Billion Reserves Held by Silicon Valley Bank Closed.
A primitive judge in Australia sparked outrage when he told a breastfeeding woman to leave his courtroom for being “a distraction"
Barcelona is feeling the heat as they face corruption charges over payments to former vice-president of Spain's referees' committee, Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira
Banking regulators close SVB, the largest bank failure since the financial crisis
Silicon Valley Bank: Struggles Threaten Tech Startup Ecosystem"
The unelected UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, an immigrant himself, defends new controversial crackdown on illegal migration
Old clip of Bill Gates saying Ukraine is a big, fat, corrupt sinkhole is going viral
Man’s penis amputated by mistake after he’s wrongly diagnosed with a tumour
2 universities in Hong Kong embrace use of ChatGPT, other AI tools
In a major snub to Downing Street's Silicon Valley dreams, UK chip giant Arm has dealt a serious blow to the government's economic strategy by opting for a US listing
Missing Chinese banker was working to set up Singapore family office
Hong Kong ditches Covid mask mandate after 945 days
Xi Jinping and His Wife Meet with Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and Queen Mother Norodom Monineath Sihanouk
How do stolen goods end up on Amazon, eBay and Facebook Marketplace?
It's the question on everyone's lips: could a four-day workweek be the future of employment?
Is Gold the Ultimate Safe Haven Asset in Times of Uncertainty?
Spain officials quit over trains that were too wide for tunnels...
Hello. Here is our news digest from London.
Corruption and Influence Buying Uncovered in International Mainstream Media: Investigation Reveals Growing Disinformation Mercenaries
When it comes to Tesla vs Lamborghini, an empty vessel makes more noise
European MP Clare Daly condemns US attack on Nord Stream
Former U.S. President Carter will spend his remaining time at home and receive hospice care instead of medication
North Korea test-fires an intercontinental ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan west of Hokkaido
US bombed Nord Stream gas pipelines, claims investigative journalist Seymour Hersh
US Joins 15 NATO Nations in Largest Space Data Collection Initiative in History
×