CENTRAL: Customs officers involved in raiding three flats discovered sachets of cocaine concealed in the metal shafts of noodle-making machines shipped from South America via mainland China. Similar discoveries had been made in previous raids in recent weeks.
The drug bust, together with another on Friday in To Kwa Wan, Kowloon, netted a total of 14kg of cocaine worth HK$14 million (US$1.78 million). Since the beginning of March, 70kg have been seized in related raids across the city the largest amount so far this year from a single operation.
Monday’s raid at Gold Coast, a low-density residential neighbourhood near Tuen Mun in northwest Hong Kong, provided a rare glimpse into the delicate operation against the drug trafficking ring.
Inspector John Yip Lap-man from the Customs Drug Investigation Bureau revealed that one of the units had been converted into a drug processing plant more often found in industrial buildings. He said moving the operation to residential flats was a tactic to evade detection.
Soundproof materials lined the walls of one of the units, Yip added, to muffle the noise of the heavy machinery, which was found together with 2kg of cocaine and HK$110,000 in cash.
