Customs arrested a man in Causeway Bay Thursday after he was found trafficking cocaine.
Yesterday, the police officers were conducting anti-drug operations in Causeway Bay and intercepted a 41-year-old man near a hotel within the district.
They were able to find 4.6 kilograms of suspected cocaine in the plastic bag and arrest him on the spot.
They then took him to his hotel room, where they found three additional bags of cocaine weighing around 1 kilogram that were packaged as agar-agar powders.
The total seized items had a market value of HK$6.1 million.
The man with a foreign passport who claimed to be a repair worker had accepted a cash reward to help an organization in drug trafficking.
The arrested man was charged with two counts of trafficking in dangerous drugs and is set to appear at Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Courts tomorrow (Sept 30).
Officers believe criminals use hotel units as drug storage and distribution centers and use elaborate packaging to hide drugs in food packages.
Although the packages were near-perfect and sealed well, customs officers who carefully inspected them found differences from the original packaging and discovered that they might contain cocaine.
Customs are still investigating the source of the drugs, which are believed to be supplied to entertainment venues on Hong Kong Island and have been operating for no more than half a month.
