Hong Kong customs has made arrests after intercepting two hauls of cocaine and heroin worth a total of HK$14 million that were smuggled into the city in air parcels carrying pastry and protein supplements.
The arrest of two men on Friday came after it emerged illegal drugs valued at more than HK$550 million were seized at Hong Kong airport’s cargo terminal in the first half of this year, as coronavirus travel restrictions forced international syndicates to use alternative forms of smuggling.
In the latest operation, customs officers inspected an air cargo consignment arriving from Malaysia on Thursday. The parcels were declared as traditional pastry but officers found 11kg of suspected cocaine hidden within the packaging. The haul had an estimated market value of around HK$12 million.
Officers swooped in Sha Tin on Friday to arrest a 34-year-old man in connection with the incident.
Another case involved the discovery of 3.6kg of suspected heroin in 10 plastic bottles of protein isolate arriving in Hong Kong from Malaysia on June 29. Officers on Friday arrested a 26-year-old man in Kwai Chung.
Both suspects have been charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug and will appear in court on Monday.
“Customs will maintain close contact with Hongkong Post and the logistics industries to step up action against drug trafficking through postal parcels and express courier channels,” a spokesman said in a statement.
Latest figures showed 1.47 tonnes of illegal drugs were seized from air cargo packages posted in and out of the city in the first six months of this year, up 127 per cent from the 645kg found in the same period last year. The value of the drugs also rose 225 per cent to HK$550 million, compared with the same period last year.
Superintendent Lau Ching-lung, head of customs’ air command air cargo group, earlier said he believed the surge in drug seizures was linked to coronavirus border controls introduced in March, which saw an abrupt decline in the number of passengers entering the city.