HONG KONG, CHINA – In another innovation to the realms of cleverly, and sometimes not so cleverly, concealed drugs in produce, authorities in China were reportedly impressed with the liquid cocaine hidden in a recent shipment of dragon fruit.

Customs Officers spent more than four hours opening 160 boxes of dragon fruit at the Hong Kong International Airport, according to the South China Morning Post. The prolonged inspection occurred this week after authorities noticed the shipment had not been picked up, as is customary, on the same day of its arrival. 

An unnamed source told the South China Morning Post that this bust was more intriguing than normal, as the traffickers peeled off a layer of the dragon fruit and removed its pulp before injecting the fruit's hollow center with liquid cocaine. The layers of fruit were then glued back on before the cocaine-wielding fruits were spread out amongst the shipment. 

“Each dragon fruit carried about 130 grams of liquid cocaine. A total of 15kg of liquid cocaine was seized inside the 98 fruits. The haul has an estimated street value of HK$15.7 million,” the source said. The value roughly translates to $2.02 million USD.

Officers had to check over 2,000 dragon fruits by hand after the shipment arrived from Colombia, as the tainted fruits were hidden in only 50 of the shipped boxes. A 36-year-old truck driver was arrested when he tried to pick up the shipment from the airport’s cargo terminal.

What methods will drug traffickers think of next, to conceal and transport their hauls of illicit narcotics within fresh produce? AndNowUKnow will continue to report on the latest.