Hong Kong Customs seizes suspected ketamine worth about $1.9 million in anti-narcotics operation
Hong Kong Customs on January 2 seized a total of about 4 kilograms of suspected ketamine with an estimated market value of about $1.9 million in Tai Wai.
Through risk assessment, Customs on that day inspected an air parcel, declared as clothing and arriving in Hong Kong from the United Kingdom, at a warehouse of a local consolidator company in Tai Wai. Upon inspection, Customs officers found about 4kg suspected ketamine concealed inside the parcel.
After a follow-up investigation, Customs officers conducted a controlled delivery operation yesterday (January 4) in Causeway Bay and arrested a 59-year-old male consignee. The arrested person has been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug. He will appear at the Eastern Magistrates' Courts tomorrow (January 6).
Customs will continue to step up enforcement against drug trafficking activities through intelligence analysis. The department also reminds members of the public to stay alert and not to participate in drug trafficking activities for monetary return. They must not accept hiring or delegation from another party to carry controlled items into and out of Hong Kong. They are also reminded not to carry unknown items for other people, nor to release their personal data or home address to others for receiving parcels or goods.
Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in a dangerous drug is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.
Customs reminds members of the public to pay attention to the fact that drug trafficking is a serious criminal offence. A criminal conviction will result in grave repercussions for their future and they should not take risks in the hope that they may not be caught.
Members of the public may report any suspected drug trafficking activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002/).
Hong Kong Customs seizes suspected ketamine worth about $1.9 million in anti-narcotics operation Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy and Supreme People's Court co-organise first Hong Kong Common Law Practical Training Course
The first Hong Kong Common Law Practical Training Course, co-organised by the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy and the Supreme People's Court (SPC), officially commenced today (January 6). The two-week training course is an inaugural programme of the Academy after its launch in November 2024.
The Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, spoke at the opening ceremony of the course and delivered the first lecture today. Mr Lam expressed his gratitude to the SPC for its support and trust in the Academy. Noting that Hong Kong has a robust bilingual common law system as the only common law jurisdiction in the country under the "one country, two systems" principle, Mr Lam said he hopes that the course will facilitate exchanges that bridge the legal systems of Hong Kong and the Mainland, and deepen the participants' understanding of Hong Kong's common law system so that they can integrate their learning into practice in future.
The course, primarily conducted in English, introduces the practical and operational aspects of Hong Kong's common law system to the participating Mainland judges through various formats including lectures, seminars and visits in a comprehensive manner. Speakers include local judges and legal officers, experienced legal professionals and members of the Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Expert Committee.
The first batch of the training course consists of 25 judges from the SPC, the High People's Court of Guangdong Province and courts of the nine Mainland cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. Training activities will contribute to promote the co-operation between the legal systems of Hong Kong and the Mainland, as well as the interface of rules and mechanisms in the Greater Bay Area. The Academy will continue to leverage the unique strengths of the "one country, two systems" principle and the common law system of Hong Kong to contribute to the country's efforts in training foreign-related legal talent, strive to consolidate and enhance Hong Kong's status as an international legal and dispute resolution service centre in the Asia-Pacific region, and build Hong Kong into an international hub for high-calibre legal talent, thereby playing a better role in the construction of foreign-related rule of law of the country.
Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy and Supreme People's Court co-organise first Hong Kong Common Law Practical Training Course Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy and Supreme People's Court co-organise first Hong Kong Common Law Practical Training Course Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
Hong Kong International Legal Talents Training Academy and Supreme People's Court co-organise first Hong Kong Common Law Practical Training Course Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
