Hong Kong police arrest man in connection with 62kg of ketamine discovered in tins of skin cream
- Police estimate the ketamine had a street value of nearly HK$40 million
- Two others were arrested in connection with a separate bust in which some HK$12 million worth of ketamine was seized
Police have uncovered a HK$39.6 million haul of ketamine smuggled into Hong Kong disguised as skincare cream at an industrial unit, leading to the arrest of a local man in one of two anti-narcotics operations on the same day this week.
Acting chief inspector Wong Chi-man, of the narcotics bureau, said the nearly 62kg of the drug was intercepted in the operation before it could be circulated in the city’s underground market.
Following a tip-off, officers stopped a 38-year-old man outside an industrial building in Lei Muk Road in Kwai Chung on Tuesday night. He was then escorted to one of the flats inside the building, which he occupied. Inside the flat, the drugs were found along packaging equipment such as electronic scales.
“The haul was concealed in a consignment of more than 7,000 tins of skincare cream in an effort to avoid detection,” the bureau’s Superintendent Raymond Chou said, adding that it was the biggest seizure of ketamine police had made since 2019.
According to the force, 1,282 boxes were found in the flat, with each containing six tins of skincare cream. The drug was found hidden in 52 of the boxes.
“Each tin contained a bag of the drug, which was placed at the bottom of the tin and covered with skincare cream before a plastic cover was placed on top and its lid was closed,” Wong said.
