Man arrested at Hong Kong airport with cocaine allegedly received at Malaysian supermarket

A Chinese man arrested at Hong Kong International Airport with about two kg of suspected cocaine is believed to have obtained the drugs from a person at a supermarket in Penang, Malaysian police said.

Hussein Omar Khan, director of the Malaysian police's Narcotics Crime Investigation Department, told the New Straits Times on Oct. 26 that the 25-year-old Chinese had flown in from Penang on Cathay Pacific flight CX622 on Oct. 22.

Terminal 1 at Hong Kong International Airport. Photo by Unsplash/Ivan Lau

The man is believed to have spent three days in Malaysia and was promised RM1,223 (US$300) for his involvement in the drug transaction, Hussein said. Checks showed his passport had been issued only in October and that he had no other travel records.

He had also made several hotel bookings despite spending only a short time in the country, Hussein added. The department would keep liaising with Hong Kong authorities for further details, including on "syndicate members who may be operating in Malaysia," he said.

Officers found the suspected cocaine in his check-in baggage, Hong Kong Customs said. He was charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug.

Under the city's Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, drug trafficking carries a maximum penalty of a HK$5 million fine and life imprisonment.