Police seize 164kg of suspected cocaine worth HK$136 million, arrest Hong Kong man in biggest bust of the drug this year
- Officers found 164 bricks of suspected cocaine each weighing 1kg in Fanling factory unit
- Police believe triad societies were behind the drug cartel involved in case, senior inspector says
Hong Kong police have seized about 164kg (361lbs) of suspected cocaine worth HK$136 million (US$17 million) and arrested a 45-year-old man for alleged drug trafficking in the city’s biggest bust of the substance so far this year.
The cocaine was confiscated in Fanling during an anti-drugs operation at about 11.30am on Tuesday, the force revealed on Wednesday.
Police said officers noticed a suspicious man with a large black travel bag who had entered a unit of a factory building in On Lok Tsuen. He was then stopped by officers as he was leaving.
A total of 164 bricks of suspected cocaine each weighing 1kg were found in the unit, Senior Inspector Ching Sze-kei of the narcotics bureau said.
“We have blocked these drugs from entering the local market,” Ching said. “We will continue to strictly enforce the law, crack down on these drug cartels from the source with an intelligence-led approach, and try our best to prevent drugs from flowing into local society.”
Ching said the arrested man, who was unemployed, had been detained for investigation, adding he would be charged with trafficking in a dangerous drug and appear in the Fanling Magistrates’ Courts on Thursday.
Police also believed that triad societies were behind the drug cartel involved in the case, she added.
