Covid drugs bust in sign of the times

Customs has seized HK$3 million worth of illegal medicine tablets that included the oral Covid drugs and cancer pills and were believed to on the verge of being smuggled into the mainland.

The authentic medications included the oral Covid drug molnupiravir from Merck Sharp and Dohme, which are available in Hong Kong, but the smuggled batch was meant to be used exclusively in India. Molnupiravir is used to treat Covid patients with mild to medium symptoms.

Officers said the Covid capsules arrived in air cargo from India on March 21 and were declared as gifts, but believed they were meant to be transported to the mainland after transiting in Hong Kong.

On March 21, officers had conducted a risk assessment at the airport where they inspected two air parcels. The parcels were found to contain 12,000 tablets of the illegally imported Covid oral antiviral drugs.

After the follow-up investigation, another stash of drugs - including another 35,000 tablets of illegally imported oral Covid drugs - were found at a commercial unit in Sheung Shui.

A 55-year-old man believed to be responsible for managing the warehouse was suspected of disassembling and repackaging the drugs for delivery to the mainland.

Around 70,000 tablets of other controlled medicines were also found at the warehouse, including anti-cancer drugs and those that treat cardiovascular diseases.

On April 1, a shipment of 900 controlled injections for the treatment of cancer meant for the same address was received at the airport. The case is still under investigation and further arrests cannot be ruled out.

The man was arrested on suspicion of importing pharmaceutial products without a license - an offense punishable by up to two years in jail and a HK$500,000 fine.

He was also detained for investigation for possession of controlled drugs without a license, which carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a HK$100,000 fine.

Customs senior investigator James Wong Yat-yin said the oral Covid drug intercepted was manufactured in India by MSD's subsidiary factory, adding that it was only available there.

The drug was not registered in Hong Kong, nor was it allowed to be imported into Hong Kong.

"The use of the two currently registered Covid-19 drugs in Hong Kong is restricted to medical institutions and doctors for use by the public in need, and will not be available at the retail market," he said.

Customs urged the public not to purchase products of unknown ingredients or origin, as their safety, efficacy and quality are not guaranteed. All pharmaceutical products registered in Hong Kong must bear a registration number.