Hong Kong Bust Yields $77 Million in Cocaine

Police in Hong Kong made the largest drug bust in the city’s history, nabbing more than 1,200 pounds worth of cocaine worth 600 million Hong Kong dollars (US$77 million).

Authorities on Monday said they arrested eight people and “neutralized a transnational drug trafficking syndicate” after raiding five warehouses throughout the city holding the narcotics, according to a police statement.

The drugs were hidden in containers and pressed into recycled blocks with other recycled garbage, reported The Hong Kong Standard.

Four men and two women arrested were to appear in front of a judge on Monday, while the other two men arrested were released on bail.

Those arrested included five Mexican citizens, a Colombian, and an American. A local Hong Kong native was also arrested in the sting, according to the Standard.

“We do not rule out the possibility that the drugs were to be transported to the mainland and neighboring cities. According to our intelligence, we know that the syndicate has only contacted local drug dealers so far,” police chief John Paul Ribeiro told the newspaper.

Ribeiro said he thinks that only a small portion of the drugs entered the local market.