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| One of the 2 Filipinas arrested at HK airport is led away for questioning |
Two Filipino women appeared at West Kowloon Magistrate’s Courts on Friday, July 17, charged with trafficking about 12 kilograms of suspected cannabis buds into Hong Kong.
The women, aged 26 and 33, were arrested two days earlier
at Hong Kong International Airport after the cannabis buds estimated to be worth
more than HK$2 million, were found in their checked-in bags.
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| Basahin ang detalye! |
Photos provided by the Customs and Excise Department showed
the suspected cannabis buds wrapped tightly in plastic bags and placed in
identical suitcases, packed alongside a few personal items.
The two were jointly charged with one count of drug
trafficking.
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| The second Filipina suspect found with marijuana buds in her suitcase |
They were the latest in a number of young Filipino
tourists being held at Hong Kong airport for bringing in cannabis buds from
Bangkok.
Just a day before their arrest, a 21-year-old Filipina
student who also flew in from Bangkok with just under three kilos of marijuana
buds and equipment to crush them, was sentenced to 12 months in jail after
pleading guilty to drug trafficking.
Press statements released by the Customs and Excise
Department show arrests almost daily of people at the airport, after drugs were
found in their luggage. Many of them had flown in from Bangkok bringing
marijuana buds.
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| The suspected marijuana buds were packed openly inside identical suitcases |
They included a 47-year-old Chinese man who had
travelled to Hong Kong from Bangkok with a stopover in Manila on July 16, and
was found with about 10 kilos of suspected cannabis buds hidden inside his
suitcase during customs clearance.
On July 14, another Mainland male passenger was also
arrested at the airport after 2.5 kilos of suspected marijuana was found in his
suitcase. The 36-year-old man had also arrived from Bangkok.
A day earlier, another male passenger from the
Mainland, aged 54, was found with 7 kilos of suspected cannabis buds disguised
as food items from his carry-on suitcase and a travel bag. The drugs had an
estimated market value of HK$1.3 million.
Customs said it will continue to step up enforcement against
drug trafficking activities through intelligence analysis, and warned the
public against taking part in the illicit trade for monetary return.
Drug trafficking carries with it a maximum sentence of
life imprisonment and fine of HK$5 million.
