Hong Kong customs officials arrest 76-year-old man on suspicion of trafficking HK$2.3 million worth of cocaine from Ethiopia
- Total amount of suspected cocaine was 2.1kg with an estimated street value of HK$2.3 million
- Man arrested when flattened slab of the suspected drug was found hidden in a false suitcase compartment
Customs officials on Sunday said they had seized more than two kilograms of suspected cocaine from an elderly man at Hong Kong International Airport.
Officers intercepted the 76-year-old after his arrival from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Friday, the customs department said.
The man was arrested when a flattened slab of the suspected cocaine was found hidden in a false compartment of his suitcase. The total amount of cocaine weighed 2.1kg and had an estimated market value of about HK$2.3 million (US$293,945).
He was later charged with one count of trafficking a dangerous drug and was expected to appear at West Kowloon Court on Monday.
The customs department warned that under Hong Kong’s Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug was a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction was a fine of HK$5 million (US$639,011) and life imprisonment.
