Customs officers have helped shut down a transnational cocaine-trafficking syndicate, arresting seven Peruvians.

Working with Thai and US authorities, yesterday's operation saw the seizure of 1kg of cocaine in Hong Kong and 6kgs in Thailand, worth about $5.1 million in total.

At 2.30pm officers at Hong Kong International Airport arrested a 33-year-old Peruvian man, who had the cocaine hidden in his body. He had arrived from South America via Johannesburg and Kuala Lumpur.

In Bangkok, police arrested six more Peruvians, suspected to be members of the same syndicate. They also had cocaine concealed in their bodies.