Officers of the Narcotics Bureau (NB) arrested six men, aged between 21 to 43, and seized 12 kg of cocaine worth about $10.5 million at Tsim Sha Tsui

Officers of the Narcotics Bureau (NB) arrested six men, aged between 21 to 43, and seized 12 kg of cocaine worth about $10.5 million at Tsim Sha Tsui yesterday (February 16).Officers of the NB have closely monitored a transnational drug trafficking syndicate in January, in which the syndicate was actively involved in arranging cocaine from overseas to be shipped to Hong Kong for local distribution.Acting on intelligence, a consignment of cocaine would be collected from the airport and delivered to a premises in Tsim Sha Tsui yesterday. Officers of the NB mounted a joint operation with the Customs and Excise Department (C&E) at a premises at Granville Circuit in Tsim Sha Tsui and arrested two men who were unpacking the consignment of cocaine yesterday afternoon. Four other men who were suspected to be in connection with the case were also arrested in the vicinity.With the assistance of C&E officers, it was identified that the consignment of cocaine was packed inside 20 boxes of cocoa powder, with an estimated total weight of 12 kg and a retail value of about $10.5 million. Investigations revealed that the drugs were shipped to Hong Kong from Ecuador via Panama and Amsterdam. The six men were arrested for trafficking in dangerous drugs and were still being detained for further enquiries. Active investigations by the NB are underway.