HK$33 million worth of cocaine found hidden in tubes disguised as rose stems in Hong Kong

About 30kg of cocaine was found concealed in bundles of green plastic tubes that were made to look like flower stems and hidden inside two cartoon boxes being carried by the pair.

During a search of the 1,300 square feet storage unit, another 12kg of cocaine was found hidden in green plastic flower stems inside another box.

Officers also found 25 boxes of roses nearby.

The total haul of 42kg of cocaine was estimated to be worth HK$33 million.

“No matter how drug syndicates try to disguise their drug trafficking activities and make our investigation more difficult, concealing drugs inside legal cargo is not practical,” Law said.

He said the storage unit had been operating for several days, and the pair had been assigned by a syndicate to oversee the facility and retrieve the drugs.

Investigators said they swooped on the facility just as a haul was about to be delivered.

The two local men, aged 19 and 26, who claimed to be a waiter and unemployed, were arrested and each charged with two counts of drug trafficking.

They will appear in West Kowloon Court on Monday.