Police stated that a 63-year-old man is suspected of injecting his own urine into bottles of Coca-Cola on the shelves of a supermarket. The Crime Unit of West Kowloon arrested the man on charges of intending to cause harm by administering poison or harmful substances.
According to reports, a 9-year-old boy purchased a Coca-Cola with a strong urine smell from a supermarket in West Kowloon on July 18. He subsequently sought medical attention at Kwong Wah Hospital and has since been discharged. The boy's mother then submitted the problematic Coca-Cola to the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and reported the incident. The Centre of Food Safety later requested a report from Swire Group for investigation.
Swire Coca-Cola Hong Kong responded to inquiries, stating that the incident is one of a few isolated cases occurring in the Hong Kong market, involving deliberately contaminated Coca-Cola Plus (500ml plastic bottles).
On July 31, a male manager from Taikoo Swire Group's Coca-Cola quality assurance department reported that during a routine check at the West Kowloon supermarket, he found four unusual Coca-Cola bottles, which were subsequently destroyed. During a second inspection, he discovered five more abnormal bottles and immediately collected them for testing.
After receiving the report, police reviewed CCTV footage and identified a suspicious man placing a Coca-Cola and a Sprite on the shelves. The government laboratory tested the six Coca-Cola bottles and one Sprite, and preliminary tests revealed the presence of urine. On Saturday (Aug. 9), police went to the home of the 63-year-old man and arrested him. The suspect admitted to the charges, stating that he had been treated disrespectfully at a Wellcome supermarket, which led him to place contaminated soda on the supermarket shelves. He claimed he randomly placed the soda in one of the PARKnSHOP stores he frequently passes by and mentioned he liked drinking Coca-Cola, acting out of convenience. It was clarified that he did not add urine to the soda inside the supermarket.
The case will be brought to the Kowloon City Magistrates' Court tomorrow (Aug. 12). The officer in charge emphasized that the suspect's actions are very serious, impacting not only public health but also citizens' confidence in food safety.
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