Hong Kong man arrested with 3 million HK dollars in ice faces death penalty in Singapore

A Hong Kong man who was arrested in Singapore after suspected crystal meth worth HK$3 million (US$384,260) was discovered in two stone statues faces the death penalty in the city-state.

Local police said on Thursday that the drug enforcement agency tipped off its counterpart in Singapore at the end of June because it suspected a drug syndicate had sent people to the Southeast Asian country for drug-related activities.

On Tuesday afternoon, officers from Singapore’s Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) arrested the 25-year-old Hong Kong man in Changi South shortly after he delivered a package to a nearby air cargo warehouse.

According to police, the package contained two figures of a Chinese mythical creature called Qilin.

“Four bags containing a total of 4.15 kg (9 pounds) of suspected crystal meth were found in the two figures,” police said, adding that the street value of the loot was HK$3 million.

The meth, also known as ice, was hidden in the base structure of the two figures, according to CNB.

CNB deputy director Leon Chan said on Thursday that his office “would like to thank the HKNB (Hong Kong Narcotics Bureau) for sharing information that led to this major seizure of ‘Ice.'”

“Drug syndicates operate without regard to borders and cooperate with anyone, anywhere, as long as there is profit to be made. In the face of such criminals, law enforcement agencies must work closely together.”

The Singapore office added: “If a person is found guilty of trafficking more than 250g of methamphetamine, he or she may face the death penalty.”

It was said that the investigation into the arrested man’s drug activities was still ongoing.

Hong Kong police said they would further increase intelligence sharing with Singapore’s Central Narcotics Bureau to track down the mastermind and other members of the syndicate.

“The police will also maintain and strengthen information exchange and cooperation with law enforcement agencies in other countries to jointly combat cross-border drug trafficking,” the police said.

This is the third case in less than four weeks in which Hong Kong authorities have joined forces with foreign law enforcement agencies to crack down on drug syndicates.

On June 23, Thai police arrested four men from Hong Kong at Bangkok airport who were allegedly carrying a suitcase containing 40 packets of heroin with an estimated value of HK$10 million. The arrests were made as part of a joint investigation with the city’s drug squad.

Hong Kong Customs and Australian authorities joined forces to crack down on an international drug syndicate suspected of smuggling narcotics hidden in stone statues, seizing nearly 20 kilograms of illegal substances and arresting two local residents, including a 17-year-old boy.

The teenager was arrested by Australian authorities in Perth on June 25, while the other suspect, 27, was arrested in Hong Kong two days later.

In the first five months of this year, total seizures of the five main illegal drugs – cannabis, cocaine, crystal meth, heroin and ketamine – by local authorities increased by 27 percent to 4.7 tonnes, from 3.7 tonnes in the same period last year.