Hong Kong customs seizes cocaine worth HK$26 million hidden in sports shoes in shipment from Malaysia
- Officers find drugs concealed in shoes in boxes also containing other items
- Warehouse manager, 44, arrested during operation at industrial building in Kwai Chung
Hong Kong customs has seized 31kg (68lbs) of cocaine with an estimated market value of HK$26 million (US$3.3 million) concealed in sports shoes shipped into the city from Malaysia.
Customs officers on Wednesday also said they had arrested a 44-year-old female warehouse manager during the operation at an industrial building in Kwai Chung.
The haul was found inside several sports shoes in 14 boxes that had been shipped into the city from Malaysia, according to customs.
Officers inspected a container with 11 different consignments, including one which had been declared as containing personal items, at Kwai Chung Customhouse on November 25.
The personal items consignment included 40 boxes of goods, with each carrying two pairs of sports shoes and clothes, with the recipient being a new logistics company.
Unveiling the details of the case following a month-long investigation, Senior Inspector Jacky Yau Wing-yeung of customs’ drug investigation bureau said the cocaine was hidden inside the sports shoes in boxes with other goods.
“Criminals are using a large number of legal goods to conceal drugs in them. A total of 14 boxes out of 40 contained illegal items,” Yau said.
Customs officers arrested the manager of a warehouse at an industrial building where the haul was planned to be stored on November 30. She has been released on bail.