RAAP—036
1 BILLION DOLLAR METH
Hong Kong customs intercepted about 1.8 tonnes of suspected liquid methamphetamine in October 2022, concealed in cartons labelled as coconut water and described by officials as the largest meth seizure in the city’s history. The consignment, declared as coconut water, had been shipped from Mexico, with investigators stating the high-purity meth was likely produced and packaged in South America and destined for Australia. 
Inspectors flagged the container after noting that coconut water shipments from Mexico to Hong Kong are extremely rare — the last recorded import, in 2016, weighed only six kilograms — and after an online search failed to confirm the legitimacy of the listed Australian consignee. 
Hong Kong authorities valued the seizure at about HK$1.1 billion, roughly USD 140 million. Australian Federal Police, citing Australia’s high street prices for methamphetamine, estimated that if the drugs had reached New South Wales and been sold at retail level, they could have generated around AUD 1.62 billion (over USD 1 billion), equivalent to some 18 million individual street deals. 
Taken together, the case outlines a now-familiar route: South American production, Mexican dispatch, Asian trans-shipment through Hong Kong, and Australian end-market demand.
Inspectors flagged the container after noting that coconut water shipments from Mexico to Hong Kong are extremely rare — the last recorded import, in 2016, weighed only six kilograms — and after an online search failed to confirm the legitimacy of the listed Australian consignee. 
Hong Kong authorities valued the seizure at about HK$1.1 billion, roughly USD 140 million. Australian Federal Police, citing Australia’s high street prices for methamphetamine, estimated that if the drugs had reached New South Wales and been sold at retail level, they could have generated around AUD 1.62 billion (over USD 1 billion), equivalent to some 18 million individual street deals. 
Taken together, the case outlines a now-familiar route: South American production, Mexican dispatch, Asian trans-shipment through Hong Kong, and Australian end-market demand.