Greek Model Arrested for Smuggling $307,000 of Cocaine in Hong Kong

The cocaine was discovered by authorities inside the 19-year-old’s rucksack tucked in a false compartment. She was immediately apprehended at the Hong Kong International Airport on Monday, according to an official report released by the government.

“We believe the [seized drugs] were for local consumption. It is possible drug dealers tried to stock up on illegal drugs ahead of festive season,” an unnamed source who has knowledge about the situation said, South China Morning Post reported.

The model is charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug and is scheduled to appear at West Kowloon Magistrate’s Court on Nov. 22. The woman, reported to have traveled from Ethiopia, could face life imprisonment as drug trafficking is a serious offense in the country under its Dangerous Drugs Ordinance and could get a fine of up to $5 million Hong Kong dollars (about $640,000).

She is the fourth woman Hong Kong customs officers have arrested in a week. Officials caught the other three women at the airport and seized over $5 million Hong Kong dollars (nearly $640,000) worth of cocaine in three separate cases between Tuesday and Friday last week.

Two of the three arrested women flew in from Tanzania via Ethiopia. The first woman, 48, was captured at the airport on Tuesday of last week, carrying 1 kilogram of cocaine in 70 packets hidden inside her body. The second arrest was on Thursday, when airport authorities nabbed a 24-year-old woman for carrying 2 kilograms of cocaine with a street value of $1.84 million Hong Kong dollars ($235,545).

Then, on Friday, airport police caught a 52-year-old woman coming from Peru via the Netherlands. She was found with 2.5 kilograms of cocaine packed into 180 condoms and hidden inside her body. It was estimated that the market price is around $2.3 million Hong Kong dollars ($294,432).

It is unclear if these women are part of a drug trafficking ring smuggling cocaine into Hong Kong.