Three Brazilians with 1.6 kg of cocaine in their bodies detained at Hong Kong airport

Hong Kong police have arrested three Brazilians for two consecutive days who flew into the region with 1.6kg of cocaine worth €150,000 inside their bodies.

In a statement released this Wednesday, Hong Kong Customs said it found two women, aged 22 and 24, who arrived at the territory’s airport from Brazil via Dubai in the United Arab Emirates on Monday.

On Tuesday, authorities detained a 22-year-old man who also left Brazil and traveled through Dubai and Thailand before landing in the China region.

Customs said the three passengers were considered “suspects of possession of dangerous drugs in body cavities” and taken to hospital for examination.

Tests confirmed that the three detainees ingested a total of 154 capsules of cocaine with a market value of HK$1.3 million (more than €150,000), police added.

The authorities stressed that “following the resumption of normal travel and exchanges with domestic [da China] and other parts of the world, the number of visitors to Hong Kong is steadily increasing.”

Since mid-December, the metropolis has abandoned the Chinese policy of “zero covid” with restrictions on entry into the territory, a bet on mass testing, the closure of risk areas and quarantine.

Hong Kong Customs promised to “continue to apply a risk assessment approach and focus on selecting passengers from high-risk regions.”

The crime of drug trafficking is punishable in the China region by a fine of up to 5 million Hong Kong dollars (637,000 euros) and a prison sentence of up to life.

In September, police announced a seizure of 16.5 kg of cocaine with a market value of HK$14 million (€1.6 million) in containers shipped from Brazil with cotton fibers.