FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 1981
2
DRUG SMUGGLERS FACE GREATER RISK
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A 49-YEAR-OLD MAN HAD JUST ARRIVED AT THE HONG KONG INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT FROM BANGKOK. AS HE STEPPED INTO THE ARRIVAL HALL, HE WAS IMMEDIATELY STOPPED BY OFFICERS OF THE JOINT POLICE AND CUSTOMS INTELLIGENCE UNIT.
THE MAN WAS NO ORDINARY TOURIST. AFTER HE WAS TAKEN TO THE CUSTOMS OFFICE AND TOLD THAT HE WOULD BE MEDICALLY EXAMINED, THE MAN EXTRACTED ABOUT 38 GRAMS OF HEROIN BASE FROM HIS BODY.
IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT A NEW TYPE OF DRUG SMUGGLING, KNOWN IN THE BUSINESS AS THE +BODY CAVITY METHOD, WAS DETECTED AT THE HONG KONG AIRPORT.
THE MAN HAD BEEN SUSPECTED OF BEING A DRUG COURIER FOLLOWING INVESTIGATIONS BASED ON INTELLIGENCE GATHERED BY THE JOINT POLICE AND CUSTOMS INTELLIGENCE UNIT.
THE UNIT, WHOSE MEMBERS INCLUDED POLICE AND CUSTOMS OFFICERS, WAS FORMED IN JULY 1979 TO STEP UP PREVENTIVE MEASURES AGAINST
ILLEGAL DRUG IMPORTS THROUGH THE AIRPORT.
THE UNIT'S HARD WORK HAD LED TO THE SEIZURE OF 0.62 KG OF NO. 3 HEROIN AND 2 KG OF HEROIN BASE LAST YEAR.
ASSISTANT SUPER INTENDENT OF THE INVESTIGATION DIVISION OF THE CUSTOMS AND EXCISE SERVICE, MR DAVID TONG, SAID THE +BODY CAVITY METHOD+ WAS COPIED FROM AN OLD TRICK USED BY GOLD/DIAMOND SMUGGLERS.
+BUT SMUGGLING DRUGS IN THIS WAY CAN BE LETHAL, HE STRESSED.
THIS WAS FORCEFULLY DEMONSTRATED IN MAY 1980 WHEN A COURIER DIED OF OVERDOSE AFTER A PLASTIC BAG CONTAINING HEROIN BURST
INSIDE HIS BODY.
ALTHOUGH EIGHT PERSONS WERE ARRESTED FOR EMPLOYING THIS METHOD LAST YEAR, MORE AND MORE COURIERS WERE TURNING TO THE USE OF DIVERSIONARY ROUTES, MR TONG SAID.
COURIERS, AFTER PICKING UP THE DRUGS IN THAILAND OR MALAYSIA, WOULD TRAVEL TO THE PHILIPPINES AND TAIWAN BEFORE COMING TO HONG KONG TO AVOID STRINGENT CUSTOMS CHECKS AT THE AIRPORT.
DESPITE THE MORE SOPHISTICATED METHODS EMPLOYED BY TRAFFICKERS, THEY COULD NOT ESCAPE THE TRAINED EYES OF CUSTOMS OFFICERS.
EIGHT COURIERS USING THE DIVERSIONARY METHOD WERE ARRESTED LAST YEAR AND THE NUMBER OF AIR PASSENGER COURIERS ARRESTED IN 1980
INCREASED BY 250 PER CENT COMPARED WITH 1979.
DRUGS SEIZED AT THE AIRPORT WERE COMPARATIVELY SMALL IN QUANTITY AS THE USE OF OCEAN-GOING VESSELS IS STILL FAVOURED BY TRAFFICKERS FOR SMUGGLING LARGE QUANTITIES OF DRUGS.
/TWO REMARKABLE