Customs Officers Seize $62 Million Worth of Liquid Cocaine Disguised as Box Wine in Record-Breaking Drug Bust
(Photo: Customs and Excise Department, The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region)
Hong Kong customs agents conducted a record-breaking drug bust worth HKD 490 million (around USD 62 million). A shipment originating from Brazil included 444kg of liquid cocaine which was disguised as boxed wine. Authorities arrested two local men in connection with the case over the weekend.
The Customs and Excise Department disclosed that a container was taken to the Kwai Chung Customhouse Cargo Examination Compound for inspection after arriving on Dec. 19 from Brazil which is considered a “high-risk” country. Amongst the cargo were 706 boxes of red and white wines of which 37 of the white wine boxes showed signs of being resealed. Samples were taken from the tampered wine which tested positive for cocaine.
The brand of the boxed wine was not revealed. Boxed wine usually contains sealed plastic bags that hold up to 3 liters of wine which is equivalent to 4 bottles of wine. The 37 boxes make up the largest amount of liquid cocaine in both value and weight to be uncovered by customs agents in Hong Kong.
“A total of 444kg of suspected liquid cocaine was discovered in the 37 boxes. The estimated street value of the haul is about HK$490 million,” Assistant Superintendent Jacky Tsang Kin-bon said.
Senior Superintendent Wong Ho-yin called the haul the biggest liquid cocaine bust in more than 20 years according to South China Morning Post.
“We believe the drug trafficking syndicate tried to take advantage of the busy logistics services before the Christmas and New Year holidays to smuggle the narcotic into the city and evade detection,” Tsang said.
The container was returned to the Kwai Chung yard and put under surveillance. A 50-year-old man picked up the shipment and dropped it off at a parking lot in Tsing Yi. However, no one showed up to claim it. The 50-year-old was arrested for reportedly helping collect and store the illicit cargo along with a 38-year-old man who was allegedly responsible for arranging the shipment.
On Monday, the two men were still being held for questioning. Drug trafficking can carry a life sentence and HKD 5 million fine.
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