Foreigner ensnares local girl in drug smuggling

A woman who became unwittingly embroiled in what appears to be an international drug smuggling scam was released after police questioning.　

The woman, surnamed Liu, was the addressee of parcels sent from overseas that were found to contain drugs at Beijing Capital International Airport. Liu had agreed to help a friend, only identified as "Vic," a Guangzhou-based foreigner that she had met online.

"The foreigner, named Vic, is in detention in Beijing now," said a publicity officer from Beijing Customs, surnamed Feng.

The officer did not reveal Vic's personal details including his nationality, "as his identity is believed to be fake."

On January 10, airport customs officers found a parcel from abroad containing 1.94 kilograms of marijuana hidden inside five hollow screws.　　

Police arrested Liu, a university graduate, in Beijing. On the same day, police found another 44.05 kilograms of marijuana in four parcels labeled "Edible Items" at the airport.

Liu denied she had any knowledge of the drugs hidden in the parcels, and said that Vic had told her they contained motorcycle components and food.

Liu made friends with Vic online in May 2011, as she wanted to improve her English, but had never met him. In December, Vic asked her to help transfer the parcels from Beijing to Guangzhou.

"The woman will be found innocent if she can prove that she didn't know about the drugs," said Liu Hong, a Beijing-based criminal law lawyer, "according to Chinese law, a person may be sentenced to life in prison if the amount of drugs involved is over 10 kilograms."