Man in Hong Kong held after customs officers deliver parcel of cannabis to his house, then arrest him
The drug shipment, addressed to the man’s home, had an estimated street value of HK$1.4 million
An African asylum seeker in Hong Kong whose address was on a parcel containing six bags of cannabis worth more than a million dollars was arrested on Monday, after customs officers delivered the package to that address and found him there.
Officers scuffled with the man as they tried to arrest him.
Customs officers at the city’s airport inspected the parcel, sent from Mozambique, on Monday.
Inside they found 5.1kg of cannabis with an estimated street value of HK$1.4 million, according to the Customs and Excise Department. They confiscated the drugs.
“Inside the parcel, dried seafood was found on top of six bags of the drug,” a source with knowledge of the case said.
The 40-year-old man was arrested at about 6pm on Monday evening when a customs officer posing as a courier delivered the parcel to a village house in Pat Heung, New Territories, the source said.
“The suspect put up a struggle, but was overpowered and arrested,” the source added.
During the scuffle, two customs officers suffered minor injuries. They were treated in hospital and later discharged.
By Tuesday, the man was still being held for questioning and had not been charged.
Police figures show cannabis seizures in the city surged by 96.2 per cent to 255kg last year, from 130kg in 2015.
