The Hong Kong High Court Tuesday sentenced a 44-year-old Japanese woman to 25 years in jail for trafficking 4.8 kg of ice.

The woman, along with a 35-year-old Japanese man, were intercepted by Hong Kong Police at the airport departure hall on July 4 last year, following extensive investigation into a drug trafficking syndicate.

Two plastic containers, each with about 2.4 kg of ice, were found in their shopping bags.

The drugs could fetch about 1.7 million Hong Kong dollars (US$217,900) on the local market and about 15 million Hong Kong dollars (US$1.9 million) if sold in Japan, according to police estimate.

The pair were charged with trafficking in dangerous drugs and the man will be sentenced by the High Court on Friday.

(Xinhua News Agency July 27, 2004)