RAAP—036
1 BILLION DOLLAR METH
Hong Kong customs intercepted roughly 1.8 tonnes of suspected liquid methamphetamine packed in cartons labeled as coconut water, described by officials as the largest meth seizure in the city’s history. The shipment had been routed out of Mexico and was allegedly bound for Australia. Inspectors flagged it after noticing two irregularities: Hong Kong almost never receives coconut water from Mexico — the last recorded import in 2016 weighed only six kilograms — and the listed Australian consignee could not be verified.
Authorities in Hong Kong valued the haul at around USD 140 million. Australian police, noting Australia’s high street prices for meth, estimated that if the shipment had arrived intact and been diluted for sale, it could have generated more than USD 1 billion in retail value, roughly eighteen million individual street-level deals. The case sketches a familiar circuit: Latin American production, Asian logistics, Australian demand
Authorities in Hong Kong valued the haul at around USD 140 million. Australian police, noting Australia’s high street prices for meth, estimated that if the shipment had arrived intact and been diluted for sale, it could have generated more than USD 1 billion in retail value, roughly eighteen million individual street-level deals. The case sketches a familiar circuit: Latin American production, Asian logistics, Australian demand