Hong Kong customs officers have seized HK$44 million (US$11.3 million) of Ice concealed in wooden pallets carrying painted ceramics from Kyrgyzstan, the first haul from the central Asian country and the largest for the drug entering the city by air cargo this year.
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Ivan Chow Wing-cheong, senior investigator of customs’ drug investigation bureau, said on Sunday the shipment caught officers’ attention as the country was not known for exporting such goods.
“Traffickers attempted to divert customs attention by delivering a batch of seemingly high-value ceramic pieces. However, painted ceramics from Kyrgyzstan, a country not known for exporting art goods, are rare and it aroused our suspicions,” he said.
Upon initial screening at Hong Kong International Airport, anomalies were detected in the X-ray images of eight wooden pallets in the shipment.
Officers discovered small hidden compartments in the joints of the pallets.
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Inside the 200 hollowed-out spaces were plastic bags containing Ice, or methamphetamine, totalling 88kg.