Hong Kong man, 29, who tried to smuggle hundreds of thousands of dollars of meth into Australia in his clothes is jailed
- Hong Kong man caught with meth as he went through Perth Airport in January
- Hanley Wong had been planning to travel to Melbourne when he was stopped
- The meth could have fetched up to $335,300 if sold by the ounce, court heard
- Wong was handed a four-and-a-half year sentence following his court trial
A Hong Kong national who tried to hide three packages of methylamphetamine in his clothes as he went through an airport has been jailed.
Hanley Wong, 29, had been going through Perth Airport as he planned to travel to Melbourne when he was randomly selected for a body scan in January.
There was an anomaly, which he tried to explain by pulling a large amount of cash from his pants.
He was then subjected to another scan and a search, which revealed he had hidden a total of 950.5 grams of 54.1 per cent pure methylamphetamine.
Hanley Wong, 29, had been going through Perth Airport as he planned to travel to Melbourne when he was randomly selected for a body scan in January (stock image)
The meth could have fetched up to $335,300 if sold by the ounce, the West Australian District Court heard on Friday.
Judge Fiona Vernon accepted Wong was a courier and it was his first involvement in the drug trade.
‘You were induced to transport the drugs by reason of an implied threat against your wife, child and family, rather than for commercial gain,’ Judge Vernon said.
The judge also accepted Wong was contrite and at low risk of reoffending, but said general deterrence was a significant sentencing factor.
‘The illicit drug trade inflicts very significant damage on people who consume the drugs and that damage extends to their families, friends and to society generally,’ she said.
‘The community spends a great deal of public resources attempting to catch and prosecute drug dealers and those who engage in the crime.
‘People who act as couriers, whilst low down in the hierarchy of drug dealing, are still an essential part.’
Wong was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison and will be eligible for parole after serving two-and-a-half years.
He must sign a $5,000 recognisance agreeing to be of good behaviour for two years.
The meth could have fetched up to $335,300 if sold by the ounce, the West Australian District Court heard on Friday