Hong Kong officials seize drugs hidden in industrial device - The San Diego Union-Tribune

HONG KONG — 

Hong Kong customs officials seized astir 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of methamphetamine hidden successful an concern instrumentality being sent from Mexico, authorities said Monday.

Part of the device, an electromagnetic separator that removes metallic particles from different materials, was hollowed retired and contained crystal meth worthy an estimated 60 cardinal Hong Kong dollars ($7.7 million), they said.

The opening was discovered erstwhile the instrumentality was X-rayed connected Oct. 24 aft arriving astatine Hong Kong’s airport, customs officials said. With the assistance of the Fire Services Department, officers took astir 4 hours to demolish the instrumentality furniture by furniture and recovered the drugs inside.

The cause seizure was the 4th involving ample machines sent from countries successful the Americas this year, according to Alan Lam, the Customs and Excise Department’s airdrome probe part commander.

“The cause syndicate racked their brains and made each imaginable effort to usage antithetic logistics companies crossed the globe to transportation the goods to Hong Kong. Then they usage different logistics companies to nonstop the goods to different countries successful bid to marque the tracking process of instrumentality enforcement officers much challenging,” helium said.

He did not specify the last destination of the precocious seized drugs.

Last month, officials seized astir $5.9 cardinal worthy of crystal meth concealed successful a shipment of electrical transformers that was bound for Australia from Mexico.

Days later, they recovered 1.8 metric tons (2 tons) of liquid methamphetamine stored successful bottles labeled coconut h2o that arrived successful the metropolis by sea. The haul, estimated to beryllium worthy 1.1 cardinal ($140 million), was Hong Kong’s largest-ever meth seizure.