Smugglers use durian smell to conceal heroin, get busted by Hong Kong customs

Smugglers caught by Hong Kong customs after using durian smell to conceal heroin

On Friday (2 Aug), Hong Kong customs officers were in for a surprise while inspecting an air consignment.

The South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that the contents of the package had been declared as durian and mochi from Malaysia.

Officers found more than those items though — with 8.4kg of suspected heroin packaged with the king of fruits.

The shipment was reported to be worth HK$5.8 million, or around S$986,000.

Heroin smuggled in durian shipment from Malaysia

The prohibited drugs were found in the styrofoam boxes, wrapped with newspaper.

According to Sing Tao Daily,  the culprits wrapped the heroin in newspaper to disguise it as dry ice.

Additionally, they chose to smuggle the drugs inside durian shipments to use the strong smell to reduce the chance of random inspections.

Officers then repackaged the shipment and began a surveillance operation hoping to catch the culprits.

Police arrest smugglers involved in heroin shipment

Following the discovery of the drugs, the shipment was sent to an open-air car park in Tsing Yi where three men arrived to retrieve it.

One of the men signed for the shipment while the two others loaded it onto their private vehicle.

After completing the handover, the three then made their way to a car park in Mong Kok where they were subsequently arrested.

The three men, aged between 25 to 53, told officers they were friends. One said he was employed as a decorator, while the other two are unemployed.

In Hong Kong, trafficking substances like heroin is a severe offence punishable by a maximum penalty of a HK$5 million fine (S$849,838) and life imprisonment.

Also read: German dad goes viral for enjoying durian, S’poreans call him ‘honorary Singaporean’

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Featured image adapted from Sing Tao Daily.