Hong Kong customs seizes erectile dysfunction pills and other drugs worth HK$80 million
- Four women arrested after customs confiscates more than 1 million pills of controlled medicines allegedly being sent abroad by post
Hong Kong customs has seized erectile dysfunction pills, psychoactive drugs and veterinary medicines worth HK$80 million (US$10.2 million) and arrested four suspects in a crackdown on two smuggling syndicates accused of posting the products to more than 60 countries.
Senior Investigator Hong Yan from customs’ syndicate crimes investigation bureau said on Sunday officers had raided two packaging and storage centres, one in Mui Wo and the other in San Po Kong, where they found 1.4 million pills of controlled medicines.
Half of the medicines were erectile dysfunction pills, while others included antidepressants, psychoactive drugs, painkillers and veterinary medication.
Most were found to be generic drugs from India, which were produced and sold without a brand name after the patent protection of the original medication had expired.
The drugs had an estimated value of HK$80 million.
Hong said the cost of the imported generic drugs was about one-fifth of the original versions, but the syndicates might have sold them at the prices of the branded products.
The investigation began last month when 22 regulated erectile dysfunction pills were discovered in a package being sent from Hong Kong to Italy.
Customs raided the Mui Wo village flat used as a distribution centre on June 3 and arrested two women, aged 43 and 53, seizing 600,000 pills allegedly smuggled into the city.
Another raid was carried out in an industrial building in San Po Kong on Saturday, where officers arrested two other women and confiscated 800,000 pills.
Hong said the two syndicates might have belonged to the same larger organisation given their similar methods, which included renting flats to store and distribute the drugs, and hiring foreign women to package and then send them overseas through post offices across Hong Kong.
Customs said it believed the syndicates had only been in operation for less than three months, and that no smuggled goods had entered the city market.
The group, aged 38 to 54, was made up of one city woman and three from Russia or the Philippines.
They were arrested for attempting to export unmanifested cargo and possession of poison included in Part 1 of the Poisons List.
Two of the arrested women were released on bail and the investigation continues.
