Teenager among three Hongkongers busted after cannabis buds worth HK$1.3 million found in parcel from US
Customs officers deliver package to address in Tseung Kwan O but eventually arrest trio in Aberdeen after monitoring property for two days
A 16-year-old boy was among three Hongkongers arrested by customs officers on Wednesday following the seizure of HK$1.3 million (US$165,000) worth of suspected cannabis buds found in a parcel sent from the United States.
After discovering the 5.3kg of the drug at Hong Kong airport’s cargo terminal on Sunday, an officer posing as a courier carried out a controlled delivery of the package to its intended destination in Tseung Kwan O.
Officers monitored the property for two days before apprehending three males in Aberdeen and seizing the cannabis buds soon after daybreak on Wednesday.
US postal documents had declared the parcel as clothing, and it was sent by express air mail.
It was understood the 16-year-old boy was a garage worker. A second suspect, aged 21, was unemployed, while a third was a 25-year-old delivery worker.
A law enforcement source said initial investigations indicated the trio had used a seven-seater vehicle as a mobile storage centre in an attempt to avoid detection.
Further arrests were possible, the source added.
Early last week airport customs officers seized 500 grams of cocaine in a parcel from Chile. A 35-year-old man was later arrested in Sham Shui Po in connection with the case. The haul had an estimated street value of HK$520,000.
Three arrested and HK$9 million worth of cocaine, ketamine and crystal meth seized as Hong Kong police raid illegal drug factory
Trafficking in a dangerous drug carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment in Hong Kong, as well as a HK$5 million fine.
According to official statistics, local authorities confiscated 149kg of cannabis in the first six months of this year, a 74 per cent drop from the 583kg in the same period last year.
