HONG KONG: Police have seized nearly HK$100 million worth of suspected cocaine weighing 95 kilograms in the border area of Lok Ma Chau in one of the biggest drug seizures since 2012.
According to Ma Ping-yiu, chief superintendent of the Narcotics Bureau, officers intercepted three people in a car in Ki Lun Tsuen early on Friday morning.
A woman, 41, her boyfriend, 52, and her daughter, 22, all Hongkongers, were on board.
The officers escorted the three to their residence in Ki Lun Tsuen, where another car with 79 blocks of suspected cocaine in three nylon bags was found.
Police then arrested the three and a 36-year-old Filipino male domestic helper who was at the residence.
Ma said the suspected drugs could have fetched a market price of around HK$99 million.
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Officers later conducted a search at a 100,000-square-foot farm run by one of the arrested people in Lok Ma Chau. They found 510 grams of suspected cannabis buds worth around HK$71,000, six imitation firearms, a semi-automatic pistol and 13 rounds of ammunition.
Some of the goods intercepted posed a public safety threat. Photo: Sam Tsang
Ma said police investigations were continuing into the source of the suspected drugs and their likely distribution points. He also said further arrests were possible.
The 52-year-old has been charged with one count of drug trafficking and will appear in Fanling Court on Monday. The other three were released on bail and must report back to the police in mid-July.
In July 2012, customs officers made a record cocaine seizure of 649kg. The haul had an estimated street value of HK$760 million.
