Mexican cartel smuggling cocaine into Hong Kong amid booming demand for drugs
Fears of 'unholy alliance' between notorious Sinaloa cartel and local triads to take advantage of booming demand for cocaine and 'Ice'
One of the world's largest and most notorious drug cartels is targeting Hong Kong as it seeks to expand its operations into lucrative new markets, the Sunday Morning Post has learned.
Already a key supplier of illicit narcotics to many Western countries, Mexico's Sinaloa cartel is diversifying its business by taking advantage of the booming demand for cocaine and methamphetamines in the Asia-Pacific region.
Details of the syndicate's push emerged after the Post revealed last month how Hong Kong triad gangs are supplying the cartel with precursor chemicals - such as ephedrine and pseudoephedrine - that are needed to produce methamphetamine, known here as "Ice".
Following that report, the Customs and Excise Department last week announced it was setting up a dedicated team to crack down on the illegal trade of the controlled chemicals.
Named after the state on Mexico's Pacific coast where it was formed, the Sinaloa is considered one of the world's most sophisticated and dangerous drug-trafficking groups and is a powerful player in Mexico's drug wars, which have claimed 60,000 lives since 2006.
Describing the group as the "most notorious", a local law enforcement source confirmed that the cartel was smuggling cocaine into Hong Kong, but declined to give more details because it could compromise an investigation.