SCMP
- Cocaine weighing 302kg concealed in consignment of 1,800 boxes of frozen chicken feet shipped from Santos earlier this month
- Investigation leads to arrest of sole proprietor of local trading company, Superintendent Henry Fong reveals
Hong Kong customs has confiscated HK$230 million (US$29.3 million) worth of cocaine hidden in a shipment of frozen chicken feet from Brazil, marking their biggest seizure of the narcotic this year, a senior official has revealed.
Superintendent Henry Fong Heung-wing of customs’ drug investigation bureau on Thursday said a follow-up investigation led to the arrest of the sole proprietor of a local trading company in connection with the case.
The probe revealed HK$700,000 had been transferred from the suspect’s bank account in the city to another one in Brazil earlier this year.
We suspect the money was part of the payments for the illegal drug,” Fong said.
The 302kg (665lbs) of cocaine was concealed in a consignment of 1,800 boxes of frozen chicken feet shipped into the city from Santos earlier this month, according to the Customs and Excise Department.
The shipment was selected for inspection at the Kwai Chung Customhouse examination compound on Thursday last week, with X-rays of the cargo prompting officers to open the container for further investigation.
The superintendent said the illegal drug was found hidden in 63 of the boxes and each contained two bags of the frozen product.
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