Two Hong Kong teenagers arrested over 1.8kg of marijuana mailed from the United States
- Customs officials follow packages to their destination and arrest 15-year-old outside post office
- Packages contained about HK$500,000 worth of ‘suspected cannabis buds’
Two Hong Kong teenagers were arrested on Friday after one received packages containing about HK$500,000 (US$63,700) worth of marijuana that had been mailed from the United States.
Wong Ngar-lun, senior inspector of the Customs and Excise Department, said officers were investigating whether the drugs were for the boys’ own consumption or other purposes.
“We hope to remind Hong Kong citizens, especially the young, not to fall for the temptations of greed and break the law,” Wong said.
The two parcels, which held about 1.8kg of “suspected cannabis buds” inside plastic bags, were intercepted at Hong Kong International Airport on March 9.
Customs officials followed the parcels to their destination and arrested a 15-year-old on Tuesday outside a post office in Kwai Chung after he picked up the packages.
The young man was charged with trafficking in a dangerous drug and will appear at the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts on March 21.
On Friday, a 16-year-old who attends the same secondary school was arrested in Tsuen Wan on suspicion of being involved in the case. He was held for further investigation.
Under Hong Kong’s Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, the trafficking of a dangerous drug carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a HK$5 million fine.
