Customs Seizes HK$36.2 Million Cocaine in Mong Kok Raid
HK01 · 5 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong Customs said it arrested a 49-year-old South African man in an anti-drug operation on August 26 after intercepting him outside a hotel in Central and then escorting him to a private residential unit in Mong Kok for a search. Officers seized about 53.9 kilograms of suspected cocaine in total, including 11 kilograms from his backpack and about 42.9 kilograms from the flat, with an estimated market value of HK$36.2 million. The man, who reportedly claimed to be a farmer, is being charged with trafficking in a dangerous drug.
Key Points
- Customs said the operation followed intelligence exchanges with overseas law enforcement agencies and subsequent in-depth investigation and analysis.
- Officers stopped the suspect outside a Central hotel on the night of August 26, where he allegedly tried to flee and resisted violently before being subdued.
- Investigators found 11 kilograms of suspected cocaine in his backpack, then uncovered another 42.9 kilograms at a private Mong Kok residential unit.
- Authorities said the total haul was about 53.9 kilograms, valued at roughly HK$36.2 million, and believed the drugs originated in South America.
- Customs said traffickers used a busy urban flat as a storage and distribution hub, while the suspect frequently changed hotels to complicate surveillance.
Why It Matters
The case points to continued use of ordinary residential premises in dense urban districts as drug storage and distribution points, making enforcement more difficult in crowded neighborhoods. Customs said the operation blocked the batch at source before it could enter the local market, and reiterated that drug trafficking carries a maximum penalty of a HK$5 million fine and life imprisonment.