Hong Kong customs arrests 6, seizes liquid cocaine worth HK$57 million disguised as chicken pate
- Narcotics haul of 57.5kg found hidden in container with 1,100 boxes of chicken pate and milk cream in shipment from Brazil
- Packages in boxes each contained white solution, found to be liquid cocaine upon testing, customs says
Hong Kong customs officers have arrested six men and seized HK$57 million (US$7.3 million) worth of liquid cocaine disguised as chicken pate in a shipment that arrived from Brazil.
Acting senior inspector Chan Kit-lun of customs’ containerised cargo examination division said on Friday that the 57.5kg (126.8lbs) narcotics haul was hidden in a cargo container carrying more than 1,100 boxes of chicken pate and milk cream, which arrived in the city by sea on January 16.
He said the container was selected for inspection because the shipment’s consignee was a local company which had no shipping history, with an investigation revealing the address listed in the relevant documents was fake.
The container was taken to the Kwai Chung Customhouse Cargo Examination Compound for inspection on January 19.
“During the inspection, officers discovered red markings on 60 boxes of chicken pate positioned at the far end of the container,” Chan said.
He said the packages in the boxes each contained a white solution that tested positive for cocaine.