Hong Kong customs officers seized an estimated HK$16.5 million (US$2.1 million) worth of crystal meth and arrested a so-called drug beautician in a raid on a Yuen Long flat, in what officers said was the city’s first case of “ice-washing”.
Officers from the Drug Investigation Bureau, which is part of the Customs and Excise Department, also arrested a 35-year-old woman at a public housing flat in Sheung Shui. The woman, believed to be the man’s girlfriend, was found in possession of a small amount of crystal meth, which is known as Ice locally, and HK$50,000 in cash.
The man, who was arrested on Friday, is set to appear in court in Tuen Mun on Monday to face drug trafficking and manufacturing charges, which can lead to a maximum fine of HK$5 million and life in prison. The woman has been released on bail.
Lee Kam-wing, the bureau’s group head, said it was the first time officers had discovered “ice-washing” – a process in which the drug is dissolved, vaporised, distilled, and air dried, to remove the impurities that give it a yellow colour and foul smell.
