Hong Kong customs seize cocaine worth $33M from cargo ship

Officers and underwater robots last month found 11 packages of suspected cocaine weighing about 417 kg inside the ship's sea chest, a compartment located 11 meters below sea level, the customs department said in a news release Tuesday.

A sea chest is a structure built into a vessel's hull that draws in seawater to cool engines and support other onboard systems.

Cocain confiscated from a ship in Hong Kong. Photo courtesy of Hong Kong Customs

"Concealing drugs underneath a vessel is extremely rare. We do not exclude the possibility that only professional divers can access the location as no ordinary person can get in," said Lau Yuk-lung, head of customs' drug investigation bureau, as cited by the South China Morning Post.

He said the 333-meter-long and 48-meter-wide vessel had sailed from Brazil, stopped in Singapore and arrived in Hong Kong on Nov. 4, and was scheduled to continue to Shanghai and Ningbo.

"We do not exclude the possibility that the syndicate planned to use the vessel as a massive drug storage facility and distribute the drugs to different locations. We have successfully cut off the entire batch of drugs," Lau said.

Two crew members, aged 45 and 37, were arrested and later released on bail pending further investigation. Sources said both were Indian nationals.

Lo said this marked the first time underwater robots had successfully helped crack a case, noting their effectiveness in operating amid strong water currents.

Under Hong Kong law, trafficking in dangerous drugs carries a maximum penalty of around $643,000 in fine and life imprisonment upon conviction.