A joint probe by customs officers in Hong Kong, India and Singapore has been launched after illegal drugs worth a record 41.3 million Hong Kong dollars (5.3 million dollars) were found at the city's airport, a media report said Friday.
Ketamine disguised as sugar and methamphetamine made to look like milk powder were found hidden in a shipment of loudspeakers that arrived at the airport's cargo terminal from India via Singapore, the South China Morning Post said.
No arrests have been made but customs officers in the three countries are investigating the source of the drugs, dpa reported.
The 307 kilograms of ketamine and 10 kilograms of methamphetamine, also known as Ice, amounted to the biggest ever seizure by Hong Kong customs officers. The size of the ketamine haul was nearly triple the total amount seized in the first 10 months of this year.
Customs Chief Superintendent Daniel Tam said the loudspeakers were selected for an X-ray check after officers became suspicious about their weight. "Each speaker weighs about 10 kilos," he said. "After the drugs were concealed inside, the weight rose to 18 kilos."
Some 317 packets of drugs, each weighing 1 kilogram, were found hidden in 40 loudspeakers. The ketamine was labeled as sugar, while the Ice was in powder form and disguised as milk powder.