HONG KONG
An alleged Hong Kong drug lord wanted in seven jurisdictions in Southeast Asia has been arrested in Indonesia in the biggest drug bust in the country's history.
The South China Morning Post reported Thursday that 840 kilograms (1,850 pounds) of high-grade methamphetamine hidden in packets of coffee were also seized Monday during Wong Chi-ping’s capture.
"[Wong’s] syndicate has been a target of the National Narcotics Agency [BNN] for three years and the subject of an intensive investigation in cooperation with authorities in Macau, Hong Kong and Malaysia for the past year," the Post quoted Dedi Fauzi, the agency’s narcotics eradication affairs deputy, as saying.
The arrest of the 40-year-old came after police intercepted the meth – also known as “Ice” and locally as "shabu shabu" -- during its transfer between vehicles in a shopping mall car park in west Jakarta.
During the daytime raid, around 42 bags -- each with 20 kilograms of the drug -- and a number of vehicles were confiscated by heavily-armed narcotics agents.
Those arrested included three Hong Kong-based Chinese suspects, a Malaysian and four Indonesians.
The nine men could face the death penalty in Indonesia if found guilty of trafficking.
Police believe the drugs originated in China's Guangdong, a province on the South China Sea coast widely considered a major source of the meth in Indonesia.
Wong, an alleged ringleader who has lived in Indonesia for 15 years and was married to a woman from the country’s second city Surabaya, was wanted in Hong Kong, mainland China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar and the Philippines.
Meth supplies from rural Guangdong are believed to be transported via Hong Kong by crime syndicates from the territory and the mainland to the rest of Southeast Asia.
The popularity of the drug was been on the rise in recent years, particularly in Asia due to the role of crime syndicates, availability of raw materials and a ready market.
According to the Post, Indonesian authorities regularly arrest Hongkongers for drug-trafficking offences.
In June, a 17-year-old Hong Kong male was caught smuggling drugs through Jakarta's international airport.
