Hong Kong customs has seized 35kg (77lbs) of suspected ketamine worth HK$16 million (US$2 million) hidden in a mini-storage warehouse, arresting one man as part of a joint operation with Chinese authorities.

Angus Lin, senior investigator of the Customs and Excise Department’s drug investigation division, revealed on Saturday that a 49-year-old man had been arrested on Friday after officers discovered two batches of suspected ketamine sent to the same recipient at a mini-storage facility in Sai Wan on Monday and Tuesday.

“We suspect some syndicate members have been abusing the service for receiving goods on behalf of customers to store drugs temporarily, in order to avoid being arrested for handling drugs,” Lin said.

Acting on intelligence shared by anti-smuggling authorities from mainland China, officers searched a shipment of goods at the storage facility inside an industrial building in Sai Wan on Monday.

They discovered 10kg of suspected ketamine concealed inside four plastic buckets.