Traveler arrested over $1.2m 'cocaine pellets' discovery

James Lee

Customs officers seized about 1.2 kilograms of suspected cocaine with an estimated market value of about HK$1.2 million from a 43-year-old male traveler who swallowed the drugs.

The suspect arrived from Addis Ababa via Bangkok on Sunday and was intercepted by Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department officers at the airport after officers conducting risk assessment procedures noticed that his luggage was relatively small and that he had not booked a hotel room in advance.

"The recent relaxation of quarantine measures in Hong Kong has led to an increase in the number of inbound tourists. But some criminals have been using passengers to traffic in dangerous drugs," said senior investigator Tsang Yau-chuen of the Customs Drug Investigation Bureau's Airport Investigation Group.

He said the suspect had not been to Hong Kong recently.

The suspect was taken to hospital, where the doctor confirmed that he had concealed foreign objects in his body cavity. Customs officers placed the man under arrest and waited for him to discharge the drugs from his body.

As of 10am on Monday, the man had excreted a total of 59 pellets of suspected cocaine.

It is understood that the man had trained himself to orally ingest dozens of the pellets, said Tsang, adding that it is a common practice among drug traffickers.

The oblong-shaped pellets were encased in strong plastic wrap to resist stomach acid.

Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, the maximum penalty upon conviction for those who traffic dangerous drugs is a fine of HK$5 million and life imprisonment.

The internal concealment case is yet to be investigated.

Customs will continue applying a risk assessment strategy to select inbound, outbound and transit passengers to intercept all kinds of trafficking activities.

Last month, customs seized over 18kg of suspected cocaine with estimated market value of about HK$16 million.

A 64-year-old female passenger who also arrived from the Ethiopian capital on September 5 was arrested and subsequently charged with one count of drug trafficking after officers found 1kg of suspected cocaine concealed inside buttons of clothing in her luggage.

Last week, customs arrested two women, aged 31 and 36, at the airport for trafficking about 6kg of suspected cocaine with an estimated market value of about HK$6.2 million.

cjames.lee@singtaonewscorp.com