Hong Kong Customs arrested two men and seized HK$3.4 million worth of ketamine, cocaine and methamphetamine in back-to-back operations at Hong Kong International Airport and a city-centre hotel on 1–2 April. The agency disclosed details on 3 April. The first suspect, arriving from Bangkok, had 3.1 kg of ketamine hidden in food packets. A day later, investigators traced a second trafficking ring to Yau Ma Tei, seizing another 3.4 kg of assorted narcotics. Customs says it will intensify advanced passenger profiling and focus on flights from “high-incidence origins” in Southeast Asia. Corporations sending staff through those hubs should expect more random inspections and allow additional transit time.
![Airport drug bust prompts tighter risk screening of high-risk routes]()
For corporate mobility planners looking to keep itineraries compliant and hassle-free, VisaHQ offers an easy way to confirm the latest entry rules for Hong Kong and neighbouring Southeast Asian gateways. Its online platform (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) streamlines visa applications, provides real-time regulatory updates and can flag routes currently under heightened scrutiny, helping travellers minimise delays and avoid inadvertent violations.
Trafficking carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a HK$5 million fine. In 2025, 46 per cent of all airport drug seizures involved passengers on legitimate business trips doubling as couriers, sometimes unwittingly. Travel-risk teams should remind employees never to carry parcels for third parties and to keep baggage under constant supervision, especially on routes flagged by Customs.
For corporate mobility planners looking to keep itineraries compliant and hassle-free, VisaHQ offers an easy way to confirm the latest entry rules for Hong Kong and neighbouring Southeast Asian gateways. Its online platform (https://www.visahq.com/hong-kong/) streamlines visa applications, provides real-time regulatory updates and can flag routes currently under heightened scrutiny, helping travellers minimise delays and avoid inadvertent violations.
Trafficking carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a HK$5 million fine. In 2025, 46 per cent of all airport drug seizures involved passengers on legitimate business trips doubling as couriers, sometimes unwittingly. Travel-risk teams should remind employees never to carry parcels for third parties and to keep baggage under constant supervision, especially on routes flagged by Customs.
