Hong Kong customs seizes liquid cocaine worth HK$490 million disguised as white wine in shipment from Brazil in biggest bust of the drug in 20 years
- Two local men arrested in connection with haul, which weighed 444kg and was hidden in ocean container sent from Brazil
- Discovery pushes total weight of all types of illegal drugs seized last year to record of nearly 9.5 tonnes
Hong Kong customs officers have seized a record HK$490 million (US$62.6 million) worth of liquid cocaine disguised as white wine that arrived in an ocean container sent from Brazil.
The 444kg haul (979lbs), discovered in December, brought the total weight of all types of illegal drugs found last year to nearly 9.5 tonnes, also a record for any single year in more than two decades, Senior Superintendent Wong Ho-yin of the customs’ drug investigation bureau on Monday said.
Authorities seized 37 per cent more narcotics last year compared with the previous annual record of 6.9 tonnes set the year before.
The Customs and Excise Department on Monday revealed the latest haul was hidden in a shipment of 706 boxes of red and white wine, as well as juice, that arrived in the city on December 19. Two local men were arrested in connection with the case over the weekend.
The container was taken to the Kwai Chung Customhouse Cargo Examination Compound for inspection after arriving from Brazil, a country designated as “high-risk” based on past seizures.
Signs of resealing were found on 37 out of the 706 wine boxes, according to Assistant Superintendent Jacky Tsang Kin-bon of the bureau. Each of the 37 boxes was supposed to have carried four three-litre white wine bags. Tsang said samples tested positive for cocaine.