HK$43mn Worth Of 'ice' Found Hidden In Machine Parts

Police say they have arrested two people and seized HK$43 million worth of the drug 'ice' concealed in industrial machinery.

Detectives raided a warehouse in Fanling on Saturday and seized 67 kilos of the drug. They arrested a man and a woman at the scene.

Raymond Chou, a superintendent from the Narcotics Bureau, said that because the drugs were concealed inside machine parts, it posed some challenges to officers in their operation, and more sophisticated equipment was needed to dismantle some of the parts.

After more than 30 hours, officers managed to remove the drugs from some of the machinery, by using water jet cutters. Chou said according to intelligence, the drugs were smuggled into Hong Kong in early June from Mexico and were intended for local consumption.

He said that the suspected drugs arrived in the SAR by ship.

He also said because of tighter border controls since the pandemic started, drug syndicates have had difficulty bringing drugs into Hong Kong, and the price of methamphetamine has risen by as much as 20 percent.

The two suspects have been charged with drug trafficking and will appear in Fanling court for mention on Tuesday.