Hong Kong customs raids and shuts down Ecstasy lab, 19-year-old arrested
- Authorities seize drug manufacturing equipment and chemicals after making first discovery of such a production line in two decades
Hong Kong customs officers have raided and shut down a makeshift laboratory used to make the party drug Ecstasy, believed to have been destined for the city’s entertainment venues over the summer holidays – the first discovery of such a production line in two decades.
The Customs and Excise Department said on Monday the laboratory was “newly set up” in a 200-square-foot office in Tai Kok Tsui and that dozens of bags and bottles of chemicals were seized along with drug manufacturing equipment on Sunday.
“There were around 20 types of chemical substances that could be used to produce as much as 120,000 Ecstasy tablets worth HK$10 million [US$1.3 million],” Senior Inspector Tom Cheung Kwong-tat of the customs drug investigation bureau said.
Cheung added that equipment used for heating, extraction and distillation to change the substance from liquid to solid form was also discovered on the premises.
A 19-year-old man was arrested and 4.3kg of refined Ecstasy with an estimated street value of HK$1 million was seized, along with HK$80,000 worth of heroin.
“A preliminary investigation suggests the makeshift laboratory was set up about a month ago and is in the experimental stage,” he said.