Two local teenagers are set to appear in a Hong Kong court on Monday after they were arrested for allegedly trafficking 18.3kg (40lbs) of illegal drugs worth HK$11 million (US$1.4 million) upon their return from Thailand.
Police revealed on Sunday that the 18-year-old woman and 19-year-old man were arrested at Hong Kong International Airport on Friday after an investigation with customs officials found the pair had allegedly hidden 14.3kg of heroin and 4kg of marijuana inside their luggage and a backpack.
The force said it had noticed that a number of drug trafficking syndicates had started using cash rewards and the promise of free air travel as incentives to recruit people for smuggling narcotics into Hong Kong.
Hong Kong young turning to ‘mainstream’ cannabis ‘due to misconceptions over harm’
Hong Kong young turning to ‘mainstream’ cannabis ‘due to misconceptions over harm’
The pair has been detained under suspicion of trafficking in dangerous drugs and is due to appear at the West Kowloon Magistracy on Monday.
Separately, police also revealed that intelligence it had shared with the Australian Federal Police had led to the arrest of a 24-year-old Hongkonger surnamed Chan after 140kg of methamphetamine worth AU$126 million was discovered in a flat in Sydney.
According to Hong Kong police, its narcotics bureau discovered that a transnational drug trafficking syndicate had arranged for Chan to fly from the city to Australia for the purposes of trafficking and manufacturing in July earlier this year.
The bureau shared the intelligence with the…
