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Clifford Lo

Hong Kong customs officers smashed a city drugs ring on Wednesday, seizing HK$100 million (US$12.8 million) worth of cocaine in the process.
The 91kg haul, the biggest seizure of the drug in an inland area, was found during a raid on a flat in Sha Tin, with officers discovering 83 large slabs of the drug stacked in the bedroom and living room areas.
Officials believe the cocaine, which had been shipping into the city from South America and was destined for nightclubs and bars in Kowloon East and New Territories East, was the first consignment for a crime syndicate controlled by the Wo Shing Wo triad gang.
A source said the gang could have expected to make HK$30 million from their share of the profits.

“Raw cocaine can be bought for as little as thousands of US dollars per kilogram in a drug-production country in South America,” the source said.
In Hong Kong, the street price of cocaine is about HK$1.1 million (US$141,000) a kilogram.
One of core figures, a 41-year-old local man, was arrested in the operation, that Hui Wai-ming, the head of the Customs Drug Investigation Bureau, said resulted in the biggest seizure of drugs not made at one of the city’s ports or border control points.
After identifying the ringleaders and tracing the flat where the drugs were being kept, customs officers began staking out the apartment on Tuesday night.
Officers moved in when the man left one of the residential flats around the midday on Wednesday. About 4kg of cocaine was seized in a bag the suspect was carrying.
Inside the flat, packages of cocaine weighing 87kg were found along with some packaging equipment.
“Some [packages] were found in travel bags and drawers in the unit, along with piles of slabs that were scattered in the living room and a bedroom,” another source said.
Cocaine seizures double at Hong Kong airport as dealers try to cope with Christmas rush
The suspect complained of feeling unwell and was taken to hospital for treatment.
As of 3pm on Thursday, the 41-year-old was being held for questioning and had not been charged. Several Hongkongers were still being hunted in connection with the haul.
“An initial investigation showed the syndicate had been in operation for about a month and the flat was used as a storage centre,” Hui said.
The senior superintendent said officers were still investigating how the consignment was smuggled into the city.
The haul is the second major seizure of cocaine by Hong Kong authorities in two months. In February, police seized 350kg of cocaine and 2kg of crack cocaine with an estimated street value of HK$380 million, and arrested three men in a raid on a crack cocaine factory in a remote village in the northern part of the city.
A record seizure of 649kg of cocaine found by Hong Kong Customs officer was made in July 2012. The consignment worth HK$760 million was found hidden in a shipping container arrived from Ecuador.
According to official statistics, local authorities seized 604kg of cocaine in 2018, up 174.5 per cent compared with 220kg in 2017.


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Drugs

Customs officers smash Hong Kong drugs ring and seize HK$100 million worth of cocaine

Evidence presented during the Hong Kong Customs press conference. 04APR19 SCMP / Robert Ng

Hui Wai-ming, the head of Customs Drug Investigation Bureau, with some of the cocaine seized by his officers. Photo: Robert Ng

News

Hong Kong

Law and Crime

91kg haul was shipped into city from South America, and officials believe Wo Shing Wo triad gang was behind it


91kg haul was shipped into city from South America, and officials believe Wo Shing Wo triad gang was behind it.


Crime in Hong Kong