Two Hong Kong men suspected of drug trafficking have gone on trial at the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court, the Daily Sunshine said yesterday.

Chang Chi-hong was caught May 31 when he was alleged to have handed over a plastic bag of narcotics to another Hong Kong man Pang Chi-hwa at the entrance to a KFC restaurant on Chunfeng Road in Luohu District. The deal was said to have been arranged by a man behind the scene, only identified as An, who asked Pang to smuggle the drug to Hong Kong through Luohu Checkpoint, the Daily Sunshine quoted the prosecutors as saying.

Chang allegedly rented an apartment in the Jinse Duhui housing estate close to Luohu Checkpoint to use it as a base to process and repackage drugs collected from An's other drug dealers. Under An's instruction, Chang was said to have handed over the repackaged narcotics to specified contacts who then smuggled the drugs into Hong Kong, according to prosecutors.

Chang was allegedly paid HK$20,000 (US$2,600) each month in service fees by An.

The court will announce its verdict later.

Editor: Donald