A female passenger from Madagascar arrested at the Hong Kong International Airport for drug trafficking, with about 780 grams of suspected methamphetamine worth HK$440,000 seized

Hong Kong Customs yesterday (February 19) detected a passenger drug trafficking case at Hong Kong International Airport and seized about 780 grams of suspected methamphetamine with an estimated market value of about $440,000. An incoming woman was arrested.

A 27-year-old female passenger arrived in Hong Kong from Antananarivo, Madagascar, via Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, yesterday. During customs clearance, Customs officers found the batch of suspected methamphetamine concealed inside a false compartment of her leather handbag. The woman was subsequently arrested.

The arrested woman has been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug and will appear at West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts tomorrow (February 21).

Following the resumption of normal travel and exchanges with the Mainland and other parts of the world, the number of visitors to Hong Kong has also been increasing steadily. 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.