Undercover role that fell foul of the law

RESTAURANT owner Chan Kam-ping's troubles began when his fingerprint was allegedly found on paper used to wrap heroin seized in a customs raid in October 1994.

His name was added to the immigration 'stop list' and he was arrested in July when returning to Hong Kong from China.

Chan agreed to work as an informer for Customs while they decided whether to charge him.

He started work on July 17 and agreed to take money for information on contacts in a drug smuggling ring.

In August he told a senior Customs inspector that a man called Ah Luk was expecting a heroin shipment. The drugs were to be stored somewhere in Tsim Sha Tsui's Chungking Mansions, the court heard.

But on August 17 Chan was arrested in the street by police officers who thought he was behaving suspiciously. He was found with 690 grams of heroin hidden in a bag.