Man arrested with 3.6kg of drug-making chemical

A man with 3.6kg of a chemical used to make the drug Ice strapped to his body has been arrested at Chek Lap Kok airport before he was to fly to New Zealand.

The chemical - pseudoephedrine - could produce about 800 grams of Ice, which would fetch $4.4 million in Auckland, said Daniel Cheung Chi-kwong, head of customs' drug investigation bureau.

The man, 41, was intercepted by customs officers at the airport's boarding area when he was found acting suspiciously at about 6pm on Tuesday.

'Fifty-two packets of chemical powder were found strapped around his waist and hips.

'Initial investigations showed that the chemical was smuggled into Hong Kong from the mainland. The suspect claimed that he was paid several thousand Hong Kong dollars to smuggle the chemical to New Zealand,' Mr Cheung said.

Customs officers are liaising with authorities in New Zealand to find the drug's intended buyer.