HONG KONG: The pungent fragrance of durians may put off some, but it did not deter Hong Kong customs officers from discovering 8.4kg of heroin in an air consignment.
The officers at the Hong Kong International Airport inspected the package on Friday (Aug 2), which was declared to contain durians and mochi, reported Hong Kong media.
The authorities found 24 packs of heroin, worth HK$5.8 million (S$986,000), disguised as dry ice and packed in foam boxes with the durians, The Standard reported, citing a customs spokesperson.
The shipment was reportedly from Malaysia, according to the South China Morning Post.
The men, aged between 25 and 53, were arrested after officers allowed for the shipment to be delivered to a place in Mong Kok.
If convicted of trafficking of “a dangerous drug” under Hong Kong law, one can be fined up to HK$5 million and jailed for life.
Incidentally, a woman was arrested in 2019 at the Subang airport in Malaysia when she was found to have hidden drugs in hollowed-out durians, in a shipment bound for Hong Kong.
She reportedly tried to pass off 6.13kg of heroin as frozen durians, packed in 20 polystyrene foam boxes.
Also, in 2022, customs officials in Thailand intercepted over 7kg of heroin allegedly bound for Taiwan.
They were found in a shipment containing a water heater and four cases of dried durian, originating from Cambodia. - The Straits Times/ANN
