A Hong Kong court has sentenced a 22-year-old Japanese man to 20 years in prison for trafficking drugs.
Atsushi Asano was convicted Monday by the High Court, according to a Hong Kong government statement released Tuesday.
The court earlier heard that Hong Kong narcotics bureau officers launched an investigation into a drug trafficking syndicate active in mainland China, Hong Kong and Japan early last year.
Intelligence showed that the syndicate had recruited a Japanese man to traffic drugs via Hong Kong airport to Japan in March.
Local narcotics officers intercepted Asano at the airport's departure lounge on March 25 and found 7 kg of methamphetamine inside his rucksack.
The haul was worth about 2.55 million Hong Kong dollars (about 35.24 million yen) if sold on the street, the court was told.