Guangzhou customs authorities hold a press conference to brief the media on drug smuggling cases in the third quarter of 2018. Photo: IC

 Beijing police cracked down on an international drug smuggling gang wherein overseas dealers transport drugs to Hong Kong and Southeast Asia via Beijing, and seized 24 kilograms of cocaine. 

In October 2018, Beijing police busted a trafficking gang which transported cocaine from South America through international postal packages to China, the Municipal Public Security Bureau said at a press briefing on Tuesday. 

Police said they arrested 10 suspects and seized 24 kilograms of cocaine hidden in voltage transformers, "which is a very rare case in Beijing where such a large amount of drugs was smuggled from overseas in carefully disguised goods," Wang Fei, the police officer in charge of the case, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

International packages have increasingly become the choice of drug smugglers to deliver drugs due to the growing international trade. 

In January and February, Beijing customs also uncovered two cases where suspects hid drugs in package inlays and baby pads. 

The confiscated disguised transformer is a 45-centimeter-long cylinder with a diameter of 30 centimeters. Photo: Courtesy of Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau

A transformer weighs 32 kilograms and 8 kilograms is cocaine hidden in the coil core. Photo: Courtesy of Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau

To deal with this, Beijing police established close cooperation with local customs to detect and investigate drug smuggling cases. A mechanism has been established to guarantee timely reaction, Wang said. 

He noted that the successful operation was also an example of international police cooperation. 

Half of the 10 were caught in Hong Kong and two others in Southeast Asia by local police based on clues the Beijing police provided.  An investigation of foreign dealers is ongoing. 

The press briefing was held as part of activities to welcome International Anti- Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking Day on June 26.

Beijing police will destroy seized drugs, including those seized in this case, next week, which is routine to mark the day every year, police officers said at the briefing.