3 arrested as Hong Kong police seize HK$45 million in drugs from hotel room and house
- Heroin, cocaine and ketamine taken off the market after narcotics bureau officers raid hotel room and village house
- Police Inspector Chu Siu-lun says seizure major blow against drug trafficking syndicate
Three people were arrested after a HK$45 million (US$5.7 million) drugs haul was found in a hotel room and village house in Hong Kong, police on Friday said.
Inspector Chu Siu-lun of the narcotics bureau said the drug trafficking syndicate behind the scheme used luxury cars worth more than HK$1 million each to move the illegal stashes in a bid to cut the chances of being pulled over by police.
It is alleged a 46-year-old man, his girlfriend, 31, and another woman, 22, were recruited by the syndicate to manage the two storage centres and deliver the drugs.
They were snared on suspicion of drug trafficking after narcotics bureau officers raided the two locations on Thursday.
Officers intercepted the man after he left his hotel room in Kwai Chung and seized what is alleged to be 3kg (6.6lbs) of ketamine from a bag he was carrying.
Police found his girlfriend in the hotel room and the two were arrested.
Officers also discovered three slabs of heroin that weighed a total of 1kg in a Porsche the man had left in the hotel car park.
Police raided a village house in Fanling on the same day and officers found 52kg of what is suspected to be cocaine. The 22-year-old woman was arrested at the scene.
Suspect arrested, HK$23 million worth of drugs seized in raids on Hong Kong flats
Chu said his team had struck a major blow against the syndicate and stopped a large amount of drugs from hitting the streets.
Police said the haul had an estimated street value of HK$45 million.
The three suspects were in custody for questioning on Friday afternoon.
Drug trafficking is punishable by up to life in jail and a HK$5 million fine.
Cocaine worth HK$13 million seized, man arrested in Hong Kong police operation
Provisional figures show seizures of five major illegal drugs in the city – cocaine, cannabis, methamphetamine, heroin, and ketamine – rocketed by 55 per cent to 7,905kg last year from 5,075kg in 2021.
Cocaine seizures rose by 110 per cent to 2,271kg in 2022 from 1,079kg the year before.
The street value of cocaine dropped to about HK$860 a gram in January from HK$1,300 in early 2022.
A source familiar with the illegal trade explained the global cocaine supply increased last year because of a good harvest of coca leaves in South America, which caused a price drop.
