Pucker up! American woman arrested at HK airport for carrying lipstick-shaped pepper spray

If you want red lips, use lipstick. If you want an entirely red face, try pepper spray. 

A 38-year-old American woman was arrested at Hong Kong International Airport on Saturday (Oct. 1) after she was found to have two pepper sprays in her possession. 

The woman, who was on her way out of the city, was going through security controls when staff found the two items – one of which was “shaped like a lipstick” – in her baggage, reports Sing Tao Daily. 

Suspecting the items to be pepper spray – presumably after smearing them all over their mouths –  staff alerted the police, who arrested the woman on a charge of “possession of arms or ammunition without licence”. As of press time, she is out on bail.

Under Hong Kong law, pepper sprays are classified as “arms”. Civilians are not permitted to be in possession of them, and doing so can land you a HKD100,000 fine and up to 14 years in jail.

The police urged travellers to refrain from carrying contraband items. 

 


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