MOSCOW, March 17 (RAPSI) - The Hong Kong police arrested five Russian and two Ukrainian nationals for the attempted trafficking of some 32 kg of heroin valued at $3 million, the English language daily, Standard, reports Monday.

The Ukrainians were the first to be arrested by customs officers as they claimed that they were carrying ice cream powder. However, experts found that 11 kg of the powder was actually about $1 million worth of heroin. The drug control police later raided the Mirador Mansion hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, and confiscated 21 kg of the drug from a group of five Russians, who were then also arrested.

The customs officials reported that the detainees were all unemployed and involved in an international drug trafficking syndicate. The police do not rule out further arrests.
Drug trafficking is punishable by life sentence under local laws, the newspaper reports.

The Russian heroin market is valued at $6 billion by various sources, and its hashish market is estimated at $1.5 billion. According to official statistics, between 30,000 and 40,000 Russians die every year from drug-related illnesses.