Hong Kong Customs found about 6.4kg of suspected ketamine, with an estimated market value of HK$2.6 million, in a parcel intercepted at Hong Kong International Airport on 27 August. Two boys aged 13 and 14 were later arrested in connection with the case.
The parcel had been sent from Belgium and was declared to contain garden lamp posts. An X-ray examination showed abnormalities, prompting officers to inspect the package more closely.
Officers found the suspected drug concealed in compartments inside 17 garden lamp posts. Customs then referred the case to its drug investigation team and mounted a controlled-delivery operation.
The operation ended with the arrest of the two boys in Ngau Tau Kok on 31 August. They were reportedly friends and secondary school students who would move into Secondary Two in the new school year.
Ming Pao reported that the boys received and handled the parcel in return for payment, with one of them said to have received HK$2,000.
The two were provisionally charged with one count of trafficking in a dangerous drug. The charge is an allegation and does not establish guilt. They are scheduled to appear at Kowloon City Magistrates’ Court on 2 September.
Customs warned young people not to become involved in drug trafficking because of financial inducements. It also advised people not to transport controlled items for others without first confirming what they contain.