Hong Kong police launch probe after seizing more than 90 letters containing ketamine and sugar mixture in Wan Chai post office, nearby building
- Some 41 such parcels were found in the Wan Chai post office, while another 49 were seized from postboxes in a building on Stone Nullah Lane
- Police believe the case is linked to another recent incident in which more than 50 such letters were sent to three residential blocks in Wan Chai
More than 90 letters – each carrying a small quantity of a mixture of ketamine and sugar – were found in a Hong Kong post office and a nearby residential block on Wednesday, prompting police to launch a probe to track down the sender.
A police source said he believed the mail in question was linked to more than 50 letters, which contained only sugar, sent to three residential blocks in Wan Chai just two weeks ago, including a building on Tai Wo Street also tied to the latest case.
Police called the bomb squad to the post office on the second floor of Wu Chung House on Queen’s Road East shortly before 10am on Wednesday, after employees discovered 41 letters that each contained a plastic bag of white powder.
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“Initial examination indicated the substance was a mixture of ketamine and sugar,” another police source said.
He said each of the letters also carried a note that read: “If you want drugs in Wan Chai, go to this address.” The address given was that of a company’s office in a commercial building in Hung Hom.
“Officers checked the Hung Home address, but found nothing suspicious,” the source said.
He said the 41 letters were addressed to various flats in two residential blocks on Thomson Road and Tai Wo Street in Wan Chai.
At 10.57am, a 34-year-old man living in Kam Shing Building on Stone Nullah Lane called police after receiving a letter carrying the same thing. The block is located about 300 metres away from the post office.
Officers later found another 49 similar letters in different postboxes on the ground floor lobby of the 17-storey building.
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A police spokesman said evacuations were unnecessary as no one complained of feeling unwell or needing medical treatment.
The first source said the force believed the latest case was related to the incidents on September 29 and 30, when 54 similar letters were sent. The motive, however, was still unknown.
Calling the act “mysterious”, he said: “We are investigating all possibilities, including whether it was a prank. But if someone wanted to do this for fun, it does not make sense why illegal drugs were used in the latest case.”
He said police were investigating where the letters were mailed from and checking surveillance camera footage to gather evidence.
In Hong Kong, ketamine can be sold for as much as HK$500 (US$64.5) per gram in the underground market. Trafficking in dangerous drugs carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance.
