With information provided by the US a Columbian-based cocaine
trafficking syndicate has been smashed by Hong Kong and Shenzhen
Customs it was revealed Tuesday.
During a joint press conference called by Hong Kong and Shenzhen
Customs the official in charge of the operation in Hong Kong said a
total of 142 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated street value of
105 million HK dollars (US$13.5 million) was seized with 141
kilograms being discovered on the Chinese Mainland and 1 kilogram
in Hong Kong.
Nine people were arrested--three Colombians, one Venezuelan,
three Mainlanders and two Hong Kong residents.
At a briefing hosted by Hong Kong Customs the Secretary for
Security, Ambrose S K Lee, spoke highly of the great efforts of law
enforcement officers in carrying out such a successful and
encouraging operation.
Lee said, "The spirit of cooperation has been clearly
demonstrated by Hong Kong and Shenzhen Customs and the US Drug
Enforcement Administration (DEA) through their close collaboration
in exchanging intelligence and taking enforcement actions."
Officials from Hong Kong Customs said according to information
provided by their US counterparts a huge amount of cocaine had been
delivered to the southern area of the Chinese Mainland and the drug
trafficking syndicate would seek buyers in Hong Kong.
Thereafter the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong Customs began to
track down the drug dealers. ?
It was discovered the drugs were first transported to Zhuhai
from Colombia and then stored in a warehouse in Zhongshan, a city
in Guangdong Province, near Hong Kong.
Following extensive investigations Hong Kong Customs officers
tracked down a suspect in Hong Kong and put him under close
surveillance.
When the suspect departed for Shenzhen via Lo Wu Control Point
in late January the Hong Kong Customs officers contacted their
Shenzhen counterparts requesting them to keep a close watch on him
when he crossed the border. ?
Things then moved swiftly with undercover Hong Kong Customs
officers obtaining one kilogram of cocaine as a sample from the
syndicate at a location in Kowloon in mid-March.
On March 15 the Shenzhen Customs team alerted their Hong Kong
colleagues that they had arrested two Hong Kong suspects and a
mainlander in their operation, seized drugs and obtained
information on where the drugs were being stored. Hong Kong Customs
increased their surveillance.
On the afternoon of March 16 the Hong Kong Customs mounted their
operation and arrested two Colombian syndicate members at two
locations in Hong Kong. They were aged 27 and 32.
The official from Hong Kong Customs said the case still needed
further investigation. Hong Kong law regards drug trafficking as an
extremely serious offence with a maximum penalty of life
imprisonment and fines of up to 5 million HK dollars.
(Xinhua News Agency May 10, 2006)