Cannabis disguised as instant oats, meth hidden in solar panels seized by Hong Kong customs

  • Total street value of the two busts, made at the Kwai Chung Customhouse and airport, was HK$69.4 million
  • One official speculated that traffickers were trying to stock up on inventory ahead of Lunar New Year
  • Hong Kong customs officials have arrested three suspected drug traffickers in connection with a total of HK$69.4 million (US$8.9 million) worth of narcotics discovered in two separate cases.

    In one case, 110kg of cannabis worth HK$22.5 million was hidden inside more than 1,000 boxes of instant oats shipped from Canada and found at the Kwai Chung Customhouse Cargo Examination Compound on December 31.

    In the second, customs intercepted 63kg of methamphetamine worth HK$47 million hidden in a shipment of solar panels from Mexico at Hong Kong International Airport on Monday.

    “We believe the drugs would be supplied to the local market. As the Lunar New Year holiday is looming, the drug dealers may stock up on drugs to meet the demand,” said Divisional Commander Philip Chan Siu-kau of customs’ drug investigation bureau.

    Some 110kg of cannabis was found hidden inside boxes of instant oats. Photo: Handout
    Some 110kg of cannabis was found hidden inside boxes of instant oats. Photo: Handout

    Officers on Thursday arrested a 16-year-old unemployed man who signed for the cannabis shipment and a 34-year-old truck driver suspected of involvement in Yuen Long and Sheung Shui, respectively.

    Chan said they were investigating whether the shipment was connected to another case that used the same method to conceal 108kg of cannabis in December.

    In the methamphetamine case, a 36-year-old woman who claimed to be in charge of a logistics company was arrested in Fanling on Tuesday.

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