Hong Kong customs seizes record haul of crystal meth worth HK$300 million hidden in cement bags
- The drugs were found in a shipping container, and were being sent from Mexico to Australia
- The seized consignment could be worth five times more in Australia, official says
Hong Kong customs officers have seized a record haul of crystal meth, finding nearly HK$300 million (US$39 million) worth of the drug hidden in a shipping container on its way from Mexico to Australia.
Authorities decided to search the container after their suspicions were aroused by the route it was taking. The shipment had been to South Korea and Vietnam before arriving in the city last week, and was expected to stop in Singapore before arriving at its final destination.
Senior Superintendent Barry Chu Yin-min, head of the Customs and Excise Department’s drug investigation bureau, said the 501kg haul of the narcotic, also known as Ice or methamphetamine, could have been worth five times more in Australia.
The drug was found concealed in 251 bags of cement in a shipping container that arrived in the city last Monday. The consignment was declared as 1,168 bags of cement.
“The container arrived from Vietnam, but its documents indicated it originally came from Mexico and was then shipped to South Korea before reaching Vietnam,” Senior Superintendent Benson Lee Tak-shun said.