$31.7 Million Worth of Cocaine Seized in Hong Kong... Hidden Inside Aircraft Engine

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Young-shin] Hong Kong Customs seized cocaine worth 31.7 million USD (approximately 39.3 billion KRW), according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) on the 26th.

According to SCMP, Hong Kong Customs found about 217 kg of cocaine inside a ship container that arrived from Ecuador earlier this year. The container contained aircraft jet engines.

Hong Kong Customs suspected the shipment because aircraft jet engines are rarely shipped from South America to Hong Kong, and the consignor did not collect the cargo, SCMP reported. It also added that a tip-off from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) helped in the drug crackdown.

Hong Kong Customs explained that through X-ray inspection, they identified unusual objects inside the jet engines and dismantled part of the engines. SCMP introduced this as the first drug trafficking case using aircraft engines and the largest drug trafficking case since 2012 (649 kg of drugs). Hong Kong Customs also seized 1.3 tons of cocaine last year.