Hong Kong seizes a ton of methamphetamine trafficked in Segalmex bags

The Hong Kong Customs Department has reported the seizure of 1.1 tons of suspected solid methamphetamine from Mexico, in what it has described as the largest shipment of said synthetic drug detected by that government agency. The methamphetamine was seized in a maritime container and was packaged in sacks with the seals of Mexican Food Security (Segalmex), the institution created by the Government of Andrés Manuel López Obrador to sell low-cost products to the poorest. Segalmex, involved in numerous cases of corruption, has distanced itself from illegal shipments with the argument that the institution does not export products to any country. “So we distance ourselves from any misuse that is made of the acronym Segalmex in other countries,” he stated.

Hong Kong detailed in a statement that the seizure took place on October 26 at customs in the Kwuai Chung district. In addition to the seizure, three men and a woman were arrested. The Hong Kong administration has indicated that the value of the seized drugs amounts to 640 million dollars. “This is the largest case of solid methamphetamine detected by Customs,” the authority stated.

The statement adds that a maritime container arriving from Mexico to Hong Kong was selected for inspection and declared to be transporting 611 bags of seafood. “After the inspection, a batch of suspected methamphetamine was found inside 104 nylon bags, camouflaged as seashells mixed with genuine ones. The batch of alleged methamphetamine weighed around 1.1 tons in total,” it is stated. After investigations, the authorities captured a driver, a woman in charge of a logistics company, a warehouse manager and an “unemployed” man. “The investigation continues,” said the Customs Department.

Although a direct relationship cannot be established between Segalmex and this drug trafficking case, it is a blow to the already battered image of an agency mired in corruption scandals. The most recent figures estimate the damage to Segalmex's finances at 20,000 million pesos, in diversions of resources, manipulated contracting and unpaid accounts to suppliers. The Mexican institution has warned that it will file criminal complaints for “the misuse of the Segalmex name and logos.”