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Emily Hung

Hong Kong customs has smashed an international drug trafficking network over the summer, seizing 6.1 tonnes of suspected narcotics worth more than HK$1.4 billion (US$178.5 million) and arresting 150 people as syndicates actively recruited students during the holiday period.
Acting head of the Customs and Excise Department’s drug investigation bureau Wong Ngar-lun said on Tuesday that real-time intelligence exchanges with overseas law enforcement agencies helped dismantle complex, multilayered smuggling routes before the narcotics could reach local or global markets.
“During the summer break, many students travel abroad after sitting for public exams or during their school holidays. Criminal syndicates take advantage of this period to exploit and mislead young people, particularly students, into cross-border drug trafficking,” Wong said.
“In response, Hong Kong customs launched a joint operation with various mainland and overseas law enforcement agencies between May and August this year, targeting syndicates that attempt to smuggle drugs in and out of Hong Kong via air passenger and cargo channels.”
Wong said the operation uncovered 424 cases – 118 involving passengers and 306 through cargo – and led to the seizure of 6.1 tonnes of suspected drugs.
Cannabis accounted for almost 60 per cent of the haul, or 3.6 tonnes, followed by 2.2 tonnes of ketamine, which made up 36 per cent. The remainder included cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and Ecstasy.
The drugs had a total estimated market value of more than HK$1.4 billion.
A total of 150 people aged between 18 and 68 were arrested. About 80 per cent of them were Asian, 16 per cent European, 3 per cent from the Americas and 1 per cent African.
Wong said 104 of those arrested, or about 70 per cent, were aged between 18 and 40, indicating that syndicates deliberately targeted young adults for these illicit activities.
Chan Kim-sau, divisional commander of the Airport Command’s airport apron division, said a 23-year-old local woman arriving from Brazil via Turkey was caught carrying 3.4kg of suspected cocaine valued at HK$2.7 million.
Officers discovered the narcotics concealed inside two white statues placed within gift boxes and wrapped in clothes.
In another case, a 40-year-old mainland Chinese man arriving from Kuala Lumpur was found with a suitcase that remained unusually heavy after its contents had been removed.
Officers subsequently uncovered 2kg of suspected ketamine, valued at HK$800,000, hidden beneath a wooden board at the bottom of the suitcase.
Wong stated that the operation brought airport drug seizures to 3.3 tonnes, an 80 per cent increase compared with the same period last year, while the number of arrests rose to 134, representing a nearly twofold increase.
“The investigation revealed that the drug syndicates sought to exploit Hong Kong’s comprehensive aviation network, sourcing drugs from places with a lower market value and exporting them to lucrative overseas markets through Hong Kong, so as to generate massive illicit profits,” he said.
“However, through intelligence analysis and risk assessment, we successfully intercepted the transnational drug supply chain at the airport, preventing the narcotics from reaching global markets.”
In one case that involved 50kg of suspected cannabis with a market value of HK$10 million, the authorities not only made one arrest locally, but also alerted multiple law enforcement agencies overseas.
The intelligence led to the interception of an additional 2.4 tonnes of drugs worth HK$500 million in six countries and regions across Central Asia, Europe and Africa.
Wong warned that drug trafficking could lead to life imprisonment and a HK$5 million fine upon conviction, vowing to continue deepening international collaboration to crack down on cross-border drug smuggling activities.


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News

Hong Kong

Law and Crime

Customs says 150 people aged between 18 and 68 arrested and 6.1 tonnes of suspected drugs seized between May and August


Customs says 150 people aged between 18 and 68 arrested and 6.1 tonnes of suspected drugs seized between May and August.


Hong Kong seizes HK$1.4b suspected drugs over summer as traffickers target students

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Customs says 150 people aged between 18 and 68 arrested and 6.1 tonnes of suspected drugs seized between May and August

Customs says 150 people aged between 18 and 68 arrested and 6.1 tonnes of suspected drugs seized between May and August