Hong Kong Customs Drug Investigation Bureau officials show 110 kilograms of suspected crystal meth they seized in a drug bust on December 5 at the Hong Kong International Airport at a press conference on Tuesday, the largest haul of its kind since 2010. The drugs were worth HK$77 million ($9.9 million). Photo: cnsphoto

Hong Kong Customs seized about 110 kilograms of suspected crystal meth with an estimated market value of HK$77 million ($9.88 million) in a recent drug bust at the Hong Kong International Airport, the largest haul of its kind since 2010, they said Tuesday.

Philip Chan Siu-kau, Hong Kong Customs' divisional commander of the drug investigation group, revealed at a press conference on Tuesday that the drugs were from Mexico and the receiver on the delivery order was an international baby products company. There were only the name and address of the company but no contact information on the delivery note, the Xinhua News Agency reported. 

Chan said the company refused to collect the parcels and claimed ignorance of the situation.

According to the authorities, the drugs were in three cartons, packed in 120 small plastic boxes and covered by plastic balls. Fabric softener was used to cover the smell of the drugs.

Cheap plastic balls can be accessed in the vicinity of Hong Kong, leading the customs officers to suspect that locals may have been involved as it is not a cost-effective method for transporting the goods from Mexico.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the sender had no air shipment records in the previous three years and the receiver had no shipment records for the Americas, including Mexico, in the previous three years.

An investigation is underway.

There is no preliminary evidence linking the order to the social unrest in Hong Kong over recent months, said Chan, noting that the customs department believe the drugs were intended to be transferred to other places. 

Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, trafficking a dangerous drug is a serious offense. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of 5 million Hong Kong dollars and life imprisonment, according to Xinhua.

Global Times