Hong Kong customs finds crystal meth hidden in Sydney-bound electrical transformers worth HK$334 million at destination
- Consignment containing 76kg of meth was in transit in city and scheduled to be delivered by air to Sydney
- Customs finds three wooden boxes carrying transformers weighing 300kg each
Customs officers have seized a haul of crystal meth hidden in a shipment of electrical transformers going from Mexico to Sydney via Hong Kong, with the narcotics worth as much as HK$334 million (US$42 million) in Australia.
The consignment containing 76kg (168lbs) of methamphetamine, or Ice, a strong and highly addictive drug, arrived at Hong Kong International Airport on Thursday night, the Customs and Excise Department on Tuesday said.
Comprising three wooden boxes each carrying a transformer weighing 300kg, the shipment was in transit and scheduled to be delivered by air to Australia within 24 hours.
A source said the drugs could fetch about A$68 million, or HK$334 million, if sold in Sydney. He added customs was working with overseas law enforcement agencies to identify the sender and recipient of the consignment.
Customs officers decided to open the transformer for inspection at the airport’s cargo terminal after suspicious images were detected in an X-ray examination, according to Senior Inspector Lam Kai-shan of the department’s air cargo division.
“The frame of the machine was seen in the X-ray examination but no core components such as high voltage cables or coils of wire were found,” she said.