Hong Kong Customs Seizes 10kg of Cannabis Buds in Airport Drug Trafficking Case.

Hong Kong Customs seizes suspected cannabis buds worth about $1.8 million at airport

Hong Kong Customs yesterday (July 1) detected a drug trafficking case involving baggage concealment at Hong Kong International Airport and seized about 10 kilograms of suspected cannabis buds with an estimated market value of about $1.8 million.

Two female passengers, aged 22 and 29, arrived in Hong Kong from Bangkok, Thailand yesterday. During customs clearance, Customs officers found the batch of suspected cannabis buds inside the check-in luggage of the 29-year-old female passenger. The two women were subsequently arrested.

An investigation is ongoing.

Customs will continue to step up enforcement against drug trafficking activities through intelligence analysis. The department also 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.

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.

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 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/).

Brussels ETO strengthens trade ties with Calabria region of Italy

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, Brussels (Brussels ETO), in collaboration with the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), organised a trade promotion programme in the Calabria region of Italy from June 29 to 30 (Calabria time) to strengthen economic and trade ties between Hong Kong and the Calabria region of Italy.

Calabria is an important region in southern Italy renowned for its distinctive regional agricultural products and tourism. Through high-level meetings with senior officials and local visits, Brussels ETO promoted Hong Kong’s unique role as a gateway to the Chinese Mainland and the wider Asia-Pacific region, as well as a “super connector” in linking markets, channelling capital, matching businesses, and providing professional expertise.

Speaking at a roundtable with senior officials and regional ministers of Calabria Regional Government on June 29 (Calabria time), the Special Representative for Hong Kong Economic and Trade Affairs to the European Union, Ms Shirley Yung, shared the latest economic developments in Hong Kong and highlighted the concrete business opportunities that Hong Kong offers to Italian exporters. “Hong Kong is the only place in the world where the China advantage and the global advantage converge in a single city, having the best of both worlds under ‘one country, two systems'” she said.

During the visit, Ms Yung was also received by the Mayor of Soverato city, Mr Daniele Vacca, and visited a local winery to gain a better understanding of the region’s wine industry, as well as to exchange views on promoting wine and gastronomy collaboration with Hong Kong.