NEWS
HONG KONG BUSTED USD63M RECORD HAUL OF LIQUID COCAINE DISGUISED AS WHITE WINE
By Tony Zhu
15-1-2024
Source: Hong Kong Customs
Hong Kong customs officials have seized a record-breaking haul of liquid cocaine worth approximately HKD490 million (USD62.6m), the narcotics was disguised as white wine and arrived from Brazil last month.
Weighing a total of 444kg and hidden inside a cargo declared to be carrying wine and grape juice, the bust is the largest in both value and weight that Hong Kong customs has recorded in over two decades.
Acting on intelligence analysis, Hong Kong customs officers selected a 20-foot seaborne container at the Kwai Chung Customhouse Cargo Examination Compound on 19 December for inspection.
Officers found a multiple repackaged paper boxes of varying weight claiming to be white wine, but information such as production date and bar codes are missing on the packaging.
Source: Hong Kong Customs
They conducted a drug test and found 148 packs of suspected liquid cocaine in transparent plastic bags hidden inside 37 out of 706 carton boxes of wine.
Liquid cocaine weighing about 444kg with an estimated market value of HKD490m was seized during the operation.
Two local men, aged 38 and 50, were arrested over the weekend in connection with this operation.
The younger man is alleged to have coordinated the maritime transport of the drugs from Brazil to Hong Kong. The older man is suspected of aiding in the collection and storage of the narcotics.
Both individuals are currently under investigation, and if convicted, could face life imprisonment and a HKD5 million fine for drug trafficking.
Investigation is ongoing, and the customs do not rule out the possibility of further arrests.
(the writer can be contacted at: info@thewinechronicle.com)
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