Hong Kong Customs inspected two containers arriving from Brazil at the Kwai Chung Customs Building last Friday (September 9). Inside the containers full of fleece, they seized 16.5 kilograms of suspected cocaine with a market value of about $14 million.
Customs arrested two truck drivers and the owner of a logistics company who were entrusted by the receiving company to pick up the goods from the container terminal and transport them to the warehouse in Mai Po.
The three people are on bail pending investigation, and the customs is looking for the person in charge of the receiving company on the shipping bill of lading, and more arrests cannot be ruled out.
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Inspector Chen Jie of the Container Cargo Inspection Unit of the Port and Maritime Division of Hong Kong Customs explained the case. He pointed out that the Port and Maritime Division conducted a risk assessment and inspected two cargoes arriving from Brazil at the inspection yard of the Kwai Chung Customs Building last Friday (September 9). X-rays of shipping containers reported to be loaded with lint revealed an unusual bottom in the deepest part of one of the containers.
Customs further inspected this part of the goods and found that there were two suspicious lint in 230 packs of 200 kilograms of lint.
There is no cargo information on the surface of the suspicious lint, and the packaging is tattered. It is believed that there are suspicious items in the lint.
Customs found 15 bricks of suspected cocaine weighing 16.5 kilograms inside, with a market value of about 14 million yuan.
Ho Ming Wai, senior investigator of the Customs Drug Investigation Division, said the Drug Investigation Division took over the investigation by monitoring delivery operations.
First, two truck drivers, aged 37 and 62, were arrested at the Kwai Chung Customs Building.
The two picked up the goods at the container terminal, and then went to the customs building for personnel to inspect the shipment.
Follow-up investigations revealed that the two were employed by a local transport company managed by a 49-year-old director of a logistics company.
The two were instructed by the director to pick up the goods at the container terminal and deliver the goods to a container yard in Mai Po after passing the customs inspection.
The director learned that the goods appeared immediately after arriving at the Mai Po Container Yard, and Customs confirmed his identity and arrested him.
Customs believes that the final destination of this batch of drugs is not Hong Kong, but wants to be diverted to other places.
The two drivers and the director of the transport company are being released on bail pending investigation.
Customs investigation believed that the shipping company was entrusted by the receiving company on the ocean bill of lading. The receiving company was only established at the end of last year and was registered through a secretarial company. There was no import and export record in the past. The registered address was a secretarial company in Yau Ma Tei.
According to the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, trafficking in dangerous drugs is a serious offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and life imprisonment.
Members of the public can report suspected drug trafficking activities to the Customs 24-hour hotline at 2545 6182, or through the dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk).
