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Clifford Lo

A 5.4kg consignment of cocaine with an estimated street value of HK$5.5 million was found concealed in six cans of pineapple in the luggage of a passenger who arrived from South America, police say.
The haul was discovered in the checked-in luggage of a 56-year-old Hong Kong man when he was intercepted by customs and police officers at the arrivals hall of the Hong Kong International Airport at about 9pm on Wednesday.
"We believe the consignment is for local consumption," a police officer said yesterday.
He said the suspect had travelled to the city from Brazil via Abu Dhabi and Shanghai.
"An initial investigation showed that he had been recruited as a drug courier," the police officer said. "We believe he took the circuitous smuggling route in an attempt to avoid being detected."
Police arrested the man on suspicion of drug trafficking. He remained in custody yesterday.
It was the second seizure of cocaine at the airport in a week.
Last Thursday, customs officers made a record haul of cocaine solution that had been hidden in bottles of skin and hair care products packed in a suitcase on a flight from Peru. Officers seized 20kg of the cocaine solution and arrested a 31-year-old woman.
In the first nine months of this year, customs officers at the airport seized 60.7kg of cocaine in 27 smuggling attempts. The team uncovered 33 smuggling attempts and seized 110kg of cocaine in the same period last year.
But the airport saw a record number of drug busts this year as customs officers detected 342 drug-smuggling attempts and confiscated 390kg of illegal drugs in the first nine months.
Officers detected 157 drug-smuggling cases at the airport with the seizure of 247kg of illegal drugs in the same period of last year.
There were 204 cases in 2012 and 140 in 2011.
The Customs and Excise Department attributed this year's rise to the increasing number of attempts to smuggle "bath salts" - a synthetic form of the drug cathinone - and methamphetamine, or Ice.
Nearly 100 parcels containing "bath salts" were intercepted by customs at the airport's cargo terminal in the first nine months of this year.
In all, 157kg of the drug, with an estimated street value of HK$34 million, was seized.
Most of the parcels were being sent to addresses in the United States.
Officers also intercepted 88 parcels containing 89kg of Ice in the first nine months of this year.
That increase has prompted customs to step up enforcement and intelligence exchanges.


Cocaine worth HK$5.5m found in pineapple tins at Hong Kong airport

Cocaine seized by customs in August. 5.4kg was discovered at the airport on Wednesday. Photo: David Wong

Record haul of liquid cocaine found in suitcase full of beauty products and salad dressing

A suspiciously large quantity of skin and hair care products found stuffed into a Peruvian woman's suitcase led customs officers to a record haul of cocaine solution.

Chinese police seize US$6.5 million worth of cocaine in shipping container after US tip-off

The cocaine seized at Shanghai's shipping port weighed 70kg. Photo: Bloomberg

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Hong Kong

HK man arrested after HK$5.5m of the drug found in cans in his luggage


A 5.4kg consignment of cocaine with an estimated street value of HK$5.5 million was found concealed in six cans of pineapple in the luggage of a passenger who arrived from South America, police say.


Cocaine worth HK$5.5m found in pineapple tins at Hong Kong airport

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}HK man arrested after HK$5.5m of the drug found in cans in his luggage

HK man arrested after HK$5.5m of the drug found in cans in his luggage