Customs seized largest-ever HK$300m worth of crystal meth

Customs officers announced today that they had made their largest ever seizure of suspected methamphetamine, also known as ice, with the drugs worth up to HK$300 million.

Some 500 kilograms of the drug were found in a shipping container that contained cement powder.

Officers said they were suspicious because the shipment came to Hong Kong via a complicated route – beginning its journey in Mexico and arrived in Hong Kong after making stops in South Korea and Vietnam.

Benson Lee, Customs' head of Ports and Maritime Command said that the container was only a third full, with goods that weren't expensive, drawing the officer’s attention.

“When transporting goods that aren’t too expensive, companies usually fill the whole container to boost cost efficiency,” Lee explained.

The container was declared as a consignment of a total of 1,168 bags of cement, where officers later found drugs concealed within 251 of them.

“The criminals use heavy objects, like cement in this case, to increase the difficulties for officers to conduct the examinations,” Lee added.

The drugs were believed to be re-sold to Australia, where the drugs would worth five times more than in Hong Kong. Initial investigations by the Customs shows some of the shipment containing the drugs were being taken in Vietnam.

Authorities are now liaising with law enforcement overseas to pursuit the cross-boundary drug trafficking syndicates, to combat drug trafficking activities.

The Customs said no arrests had been made so far.