Police find crystal meth worth HK$6.1m in boots
Police have arrested a 44-year-old man on suspicion of drug trafficking after narcotics worth HK$6.1 million were found hidden in a pair of boots inside his delivery van.
Senior Inspector Tam Wai-lok of the narcotics bureau said yesterday intelligence led police to the 7.5kg of suspected crystal methamphetamine, also known as Ice, which was believed to be destined for the local market.
The bust was made on Wednesday afternoon when officers stopped the delivery van for inspection at the loading area of an industrial building on Sze Shan Street in Yau Tong.
Three boxes containing a quilt, a pillow and the pair of boots were found in the back, police said.
“Inside the rain boots, we seized 30 bags holding 7.5kg of suspected Ice,” Tam said.
Officers then arrested the van driver on suspicion of drug trafficking – an offence punishable by up to life imprisonment and a HK$5 million fine.
Tam said the traffickers had hidden the narcotics among the everyday items in an attempt to avoid detection, adding police were investigating how long the syndicate behind the drugs had been in operation.
He said the investigation was continuing and further arrests were possible.
As of 11am yesterday, the suspect was still being held for questioning.
Separately, officers from the Kowloon West emergency unit arrested a motorist, 25, after intercepting his car on Nathan Road in Mong Kok at about 1am and seizing HK$120,000 worth of cocaine, Ice and ketamine allegedly found inside.
Seizures of ketamine rose 347 per cent, to 1,836kg, in the first nine months of this year, up from 410kg in the same period in 2020.
Between January and September, local authorities also confiscated 1,392kg of crystal meth, up 71.6 per cent year on year.