One man dies after being arrested during a drug bust in Yuen Long

A man who was among the four arrested in a HK$100 million cocaine bust in Yuen Long on Wednesday was pronounced dead Thursday morning after attempts to resuscitate him failed.

In mid-January, a joint operation between Customs and the police inspected a 40-foot shipping container from South America that was declared to be containing fishmeal.

Upon X-ray examination, officers spotted irregularities in the images for the innermost three bags of fishmeal.

After opening them and investigating carefully, they found a batch of 100 kilograms of vacuum-packed cocaine.

The officers then mounted a controlled delivery operation and discovered that the syndicate split up the drugs and transported them to a remote warehouse in Ping Che for storage.

Police raided the warehouse on Wednesday and arrested two men aged 52 and 59.

Officers also arrested a 75-year-old female mastermind and a 57-year-old man in Mong Kok and Yuen Long, respectively, in a follow-up investigation. A police spokesperson stated that the man resisted arrest, and three officers were injured during the operation.

Around 20 minutes later, the man suddenly fell unconscious. Officers immediately asked for support and provide first-aid treatment before rushing him to Tuen Mun Hospital.

He was pronounced dead at 11.48 am on Thursday.

Police said an initial investigation showed the man had a history of heart disease.

The other arrestees were charged with trafficking in dangerous drugs and are due to appear in Fanling Magistrates' Courts on Friday.