Hong Kong Customs seized 140 kilogrammes of ketamine, worth about $16 million, at Man Kam To in a record case of cross-boundary drug trafficking detected at a land boundary. Four men, aged between 29 and 53, were arrested.
Customs Officers at Man Kam To Control Point found a consignment declared as "speakers" suspicious while conducting clearance on an incoming container truck on the morning of September 22. After a thorough examination, the drug was found concealed inside 23 out of the 120 speaker boxes. A male driver, aged 53, was arrested.
In a follow-up operation yesterday (September 23), Customs Officers further arrested a 31-year-old male driver in Kwai Chung when he came to collect the concerned consignment. Two men aged 29 and 35, recipients of the consignment, were later arrested in Tsuen Wan in a subsequent operation.
The two men arrested in Tsuen Wan will be charged with one count of "trafficking in a dangerous drug" and appear at Tsuen Wan Magistrates Court tomorrow. The two drivers were released on bail pending investigations.
Under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, drug trafficking is a serious offence. The maximum penalty is life imprisonment and a fine of $5 million.
Ends/Thursday, September 24, 2009
