Hong Kong customs officers seize HK$126 million of cocaine hidden in grape shipment from Peru
- The containers, discovered on Tuesday, travelled a circuitous route that included stops in Ecuador, South Korea, Taiwan and Guangdong province
- Officials believed traffickers intended to smuggle the drugs across the border into neighbouring Shenzhen
Hong Kong customs officers have seized HK$126 million (US$16.2 million) of cocaine hidden in a shipment of South American grapes bound for mainland China from Peru, the second major cocaine bust this week.
The 80kg haul was discovered on Tuesday after customs inspected three consignments consisting of 14 containers of grapes that were transported from Peru to Ecuador, then through stops in South Korea, Taiwan and Guangdong province.
An X-ray examination showed suspicious images in one of the containers, which was then opened for further examination at the Kwai Chung Customhouse Cargo Examination compound that same day.
During the inspection, brick-shaped items were found in two nylon bags located along the side of the container doors and in front of numerous boxes of grapes, according to Superintendent Lee Ka-ming of customs’ drug investigation bureau.
“There were 67 slabs of suspected cocaine weighing about 80kg in total. The haul has an estimated street value of HK$126 million,” he said.
A day after the seizure, a 53-year-old logistics company employee was arrested in connection with the case. He has been released on bail, pending further investigation.
The superintendent said the investigation showed traffickers planned to smuggle the batch of narcotics into Shenzhen via a border checkpoint.
Lee added that officers were investigating if any of the drugs were intended for local consumption.
Hong Kong seizes record HK$2.2 billion worth of narcotics in 2020
He said the seizure was the result of an intelligence exchange with South American law enforcement and further analysis and risk assessment by customs officers.
Lee said the traffickers likely believed a good harvest of grapes in South America – along with the circuitous route used – would provide the cover they needed.
The investigation was ongoing with the possibility of further arrests, authorities said.
It was the second major seizure of cocaine this week. On Wednesday, police arrested a suspected drug trafficker and seized 40.3kg of cocaine worth HK$63 million when they raided an industrial unit in Tai Kok Tsui.
Customs seizes crystal meth worth HK$300 million hidden in cement bags
In Hong Kong, trafficking in dangerous drugs carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a fine of HK$5 million.
The seizure of the 80kg load on Tuesday was the biggest seaborne cocaine trafficking case since customs discovered 217kg of cocaine worth HK$246 million concealed in an aircraft engine shipped into the city from Ecuador in May of last year.
The biggest seaborne cocaine case in Hong Kong history came in 2012, when customs officers seized 649kg of cocaine worth HK$760 million from a container – also arriving from Ecuador.
In 2020, Hong Kong customs seized 3.5 tonnes of illegal drugs, including 949kg of cocaine – up 51 per cent from 628kg in 2019.
