At a press conference this past Thursday, Hong Kong police announced that they'd arrested three people – one 15-year-old girl and two men, all Hong Kongers – involved in a cross-border drug ring worth millions of dollars.
The teenager was caught on Tuesday while attempting to smuggle 20 kilograms of cocaine, worth a whopping HKD20 million, into Hong Kong through the Shenzhen Bay checkpoint. She was reportedly dressed like an office worker and seated inside a luxury car, with the drugs stowed away inside a suitcase.
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According to Hong Kong Police Chief Superintendent Ng Wing-sze, the girl was instructed to try "to make herself look older to avoid unwanted attention." However, smugglers made no attempt to conceal the drugs within the suitcase.
“It’s likely the suspects thought the girl wouldn’t be searched because of her appearance and luxury transport.”
It's unclear whether the teen was a regular trafficker or not, but police believe she made the recent smuggling attempt voluntarily in return for a payment of around HKD10,000.
The two men, 23 and 24, arrested in connection to the drug ring are suspected to be vital members of the organization. Both have been affiliated with Hong Kong's triads in the past, according to police.
The 15-year-old has been convicted of drug trafficking, while the two men have been charged with conspiring to traffic drugs. In Hong Kong, the punishment for such crimes is life imprisonment and a fine of up to HKD5 million.
According to Ng, smugglers often recruit help among young people by posting online advertisements or even offering free food, as was the case for a group of schoolkids this past May who smuggled products worth around RMB1 million in return for ice cream and McDonald's.
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[Image via The Standard]
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