Police Bust Fanling Meth Lab, Arrest Three
HK01 · 3 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
Police said they broke up a sizeable suspected methamphetamine manufacturing operation in a tin-sheet structure in Tsz Tong Tsuen, Fanling, after an operation on Thursday night, 17 September. Three unemployed suspects — two men and one woman aged 49 to 56 — were arrested, and officers seized suspected crystal meth, precursor materials and industrial-style equipment with an estimated street value of HK$23 million.
Key Points
- Senior Inspector Chan Lik-ho (陳力豪) of the Narcotics Bureau said detectives stopped a 49-year-old mainland man holding a two-way permit near the site on Thursday night, 17 September.
- Using keys found on him, officers entered a nearby loft unit in a tin-sheet structure at Tsz Tong Tsuen and found heaters, filters, reactors and refrigeration equipment, some still operating.
- Police seized about 9 kilograms of suspected solid crystal meth and about 43 litres of suspected liquid crystal meth, plus semi-processed drugs, tools and large quantities of flammable, toxic chemicals.
- Officers later arrested a 56-year-old non-Chinese woman holding a recognizance form, commonly called a “walking paper”, and a 55-year-old local man in another nearby structure and at Shun Tin Estate, Sau Mau Ping.
- Police believe the local man was the syndicate’s mastermind and the woman a core member, while some suspects were allegedly recruited with money to act as a cook, courier and lookout.
Why It Matters
Police said the lab had likely been operating for three to four days and was deliberately placed in a remote but densely built tin-sheet housing area to avoid detection, despite the risk from high-heat, high-pressure chemical processes. The force said the lack of safety equipment, combined with toxic fumes and flammable chemicals, posed an immediate danger of fire, explosion and harm to nearby residents, and reminded landlords and neighbours to report unusual chemical smells or suspicious storage.