A major international drug-trafficking chain that police say was controlled by Hong Kong residents has been busted after a crackdown on cross-border drug gangs this month.

A total of 400.5 kilograms of cocaine from South America estimated to be worth more than 334 million yuan ($51.6 million) was seized following the crackdown, according to Deng Jianwei, director of drug enforcement at the Guangdong Department of Public Security.

It was the first time such a large amount of cocaine had been seized in Guangdong in recent years, Deng told a news conference in Shenzhen on Monday. Deng said he believed Guangdong was not the cocaine's final destination.