HK Customs seize 0.6 kg of heroin at airport

HONG KONG, Oct. 23 -- Hong Kong Customs has arrested a39-year-old man and seized 0.6 kg of heroin with an estimated market value of 500,000 HK dollars at the airport, Hong Kong Customs announced on Friday.

Customs officers on Thursday afternoon intercepted a man arriving at the Hong Kong International Airport from Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia, for baggage examination and some 0.6 kg of heroin was found concealed inside the front and back hard covers of two children's picture books in his suitcase.

The man, who claimed to be a businessman, was charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug and will appear at the Tsuen Wan Magistrates' Courts on Saturday.

Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, drug trafficking is a serious offense. The maximum penalty is up to life imprisonment and a fine of 5 million HK dollars.