Hong Kong customs authorities have made the largest seizure of hard drugs in history, which arrived from Mexico in coconut water boxes. It is about 1.8 tons of methamphetamine, worth more than 100 million dollars.
Customs officials discovered the huge amount of liquid methamphetamine hidden in cardboard boxes filled with coconut water bound for Australia, authorities said on Saturday, as quoted by AFP.
Packages of coconut water from Mexico are extremely rare. The last package was registered in 2016 and weighed just 6 kilograms, said Fong Heung-wing, a customs official. According to him, the transport of drugs became suspicious precisely because of the size of the load.
Where did the record seizure of methamphetamine come from?
“We believe the liquid, pure methamphetamine is coming from South America. It was packed there and sent to Hong Kong via a circuitous route and then sent to Australia,” said Commissioner Lee Ka-ming, head of Hong Kong Customs’ drug investigation bureau.
The shipment most likely belonged to a large international drug trafficking network, according to Hong Kong authorities.
No arrests have yet been made.
The contraband, with a total value of about $140 million, was found among other goods in a container and identified last Sunday with the help of X-rays.