Hong Kong – Hong Kong Customs detects two dangerous drugs cases and seizes suspected dangerous drugs worth about $3.1 million (with photos)
Hong Kong Customs detects two dangerous drugs cases and seizes suspected dangerous drugs worth about $3.1 million (with photos)
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Hong Kong Customs detected two dangerous drugs cases on March 18 and yesterday (April 1), and seized a total of about 3.6 kilograms of suspected ketamine, about 1kg of suspected cocaine and about 60 grams of suspected crack cocaine at Hong Kong International Airport and Tin Shui Wai. The total estimated market value was about $3.1 million. Two men were arrested.
In the first case, through risk assessment, Customs on March 18 inspected an air consignment, declared as carrying decoration, arriving in Hong Kong from Frankfurt of Germany via Dubai of the United Arab Emirates at the airport. Upon examination, Customs officers found that suspected ketamine, weighing about 3.6kg in total, were concealed inside four paintings in the consignment.
Customs officers then mounted a controlled delivery operation yesterday and arrested a 29-year-old man suspected to be connected with the case in Fanling.
In the second case, during an anti-narcotics operation conducted in the vicinity of Tin Shui Wai yesterday, Customs officers intercepted a suspicious man. Upon inspection, Customs officers seized about 1kg of suspected cocaine inside the backpack of the man. The 22-year-old man was subsequently arrested.
Customs officers later escorted the arrested man to a residential premises nearby for a search and further seized about 60g of suspected crack cocaine and a batch of drug manufacturing and packaging paraphernalia.
Investigations of the two cases are ongoing.
Customs reminds members of the public to stay alert and not to participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary return. They must not accept hiring or delegation from another party to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong. They are also reminded not to carry unknown items for other people, nor to release their personal data or home address to others for receiving parcels or goods.
Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.
Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs’ 24-hour hotline 2545 6182 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).
Dangerous Goods (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2021 to be gazetted on Friday
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Hong Kong – Dangerous Goods (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2021 to be gazetted on Friday
A spokesperson for the Security Bureau said today (June 30) that the Government will publish the Dangerous Goods (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2021 (the Bill) in the gazette this Friday (July 2). The Bill seeks to make technical consequential and related amendments to various ordinances and subsidiary legislation pursuant to the legislative amendments made to the Dangerous Goods Ordinance (Cap. 295) (the Ordinance) and its subsidiary legislation.
The spokesperson said, “To update the regulatory system of dangerous goods with a view to aligning it with the international standards, we have reviewed the Ordinance and its subsidiary legislation and have been making legislative amendments by phases. With the completion of our phased legislative amendment work to the Ordinance and its subsidiary legislation, we now enter into the final phase of legislative work. As various ordinances and subsidiary legislation involving different regulatory authorities contain references to dangerous goods classified under the existing classification system under the Ordinance and other matters in relation to the storage, conveyance and use of dangerous goods under the Ordinance, technical consequential amendments and other related amendments have to be made to these ordinances and subsidiary legislation so as to avoid inconsistencies among legal provisions on the implementation of the new dangerous goods classification and regulatory regime under the Ordinance.
“We will also take the opportunity to introduce refinements to the Ordinance. As international standards on the classification and transportation of dangerous goods are updated regularly, the Bill proposes to empower the Secretary for Security to amend the Schedules to regulations made under the Ordinance so as to streamline the process for regular updating of the technical details of the subsidiary legislation (such as the list and exempt quantity of dangerous goods) in future. Similarly, the Bill proposes to remove the requirement that the forms of licences have to be provided by regulations, and to empower public officers who may issue licences to specify the forms of licences for administrative convenience.”
The Government will introduce the Bill into the Legislative Council on July 14 for First and Second Reading.
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