Passenger from KL arrested in Hong Kong with 1kg cocaine in shoes

A 36-year-old man was detained at Hong Kong International Airport on Wednesday after customs officers discovered roughly 1kg of suspected cocaine in his shoes, according to Hong Kong Customs. The arrested individual, a local resident, was undergoing a routine customs inspection upon his arrival from Kuala Lumpur. The seized drugs, estimated to be worth HK$600,000 (approximately RM311,000), are currently under investigation.

This arrest comes in the wake of several similar incidents involving the concealment of drugs in passengers' shoes. On September 16, a 29-year-old man from mainland China was apprehended in Hong Kong after customs discovered about 1kg of suspected cocaine in his shoes upon arrival from Kuala Lumpur. Additionally, on July 15 and 7, Hong Kong Customs recorded two more cases involving passengers arriving from Kuala Lumpur who were found in possession of about 1kg of suspected cocaine hidden in their shoes.

Earlier in May, two other passengers from Kuala Lumpur were arrested in separate incidents after customs officers uncovered 820g and 800g of suspected cocaine, respectively, concealed in their shoe insoles. The modus operandi has also been detected in other countries, including Japan, where five Malaysians were arrested at Haneda Airport in Tokyo after about 5kg of cocaine was found in their shoe insoles on October 10.

In Indonesia, five Malaysians were arrested at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta last September, with about 5.2kg of etomidate concealed in their shoe soles.

Hong Kong Customs has issued a warning to the public, advising against accepting offers or instructions to carry controlled items into or out of the territory in exchange for monetary rewards. Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, drug trafficking can result in life imprisonment and a maximum fine of HK$5 million (approximately RM2.59 million) upon conviction.