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Plague of drug pushers operating openly in Hong Kong's nightlife areas 'blighting city's image'

Blatant sale of illegal drugs in entertainment districts alarms business owners, but police insist they are fully enforcing narcotics laws

Bryan Harris

Increasingly blatant drug-pushing in some of Hong Kong's most popular nightlife districts has been slammed as a blight on the city's image and a danger to youngsters.

Business owners say that despite police assurances they are on top of the problem, people who work, live and visit parts of Central - such as Lan Kwai Fong and Wyndham Street - and Wan Chai believe that an increasing number of people selling drugs has created an intimidating atmosphere in parts of the city popular with revellers.

Police say they carry out regular overt and covert operations and have made many arrests in recent months.

However, businessman Francis Kirby, who has lived in the city for seven years, contacted the to say drug dealers seemed to be operating with impunity.

"They are lined up like ducks in a shooting gallery. There is a whole air of impunity about it," said Kirby, who visited Lan Kwai Fong for the first time in a number of years.

"It's so blatant, so obvious. I was absolutely shocked by it. I find it intimidating.

"It changes the whole mood of the area," he said.

The pushers - who mostly sell cocaine or marijuana - will come as no surprise to regular revellers, who have noticed the dealers expanding presence over the past year, sparking concern among some Lan Kwai Fong bar owners.

"You used to have to seek out and find drugs, but now they are coming to you, directly, in the street," said one Lan Kwai Fong bar owner who requested anonymity.

"It's clearly a problem. It's the same guys every day," he added. "It's frustrating when they're standing outside your venue offering drugs to your customers."

The publican said it was no coincidence that the drug dealers congregated near convenience stories, where they can target under-age buyers of over-the-counter alcohol.

The apparent impunity of the dealers angers business owners who claim police licence-check raids have become more heavy-handed.

For another Central district bar owner, who asked not to be named for fear of retribution, police licensing raids have become increasingly severe, with officers entering venues "like the army".

"They're quite aggressive. Nobody is allowed to speak, nobody is allowed to move," said the businessman, who has worked in the industry for 20 years.

In response to questions on the issue of drug pushing and police raids, a police official said the Hong Kong force accorded "high priority [to] upholding law and order, maintaining public safety, and combating all crimes, including drug offences, in entertainment precincts such as Lan Kwai Fong".

In the last six months of last year, 34 drug offences were detected in Lan Kwai Fong, the police official said, adding that on one night alone this month five drug dealers were arrested.

More often than not, drug dealers will not carry contraband themselves, making police stop-and-searches more difficult.

Reportedly, the drugs are normally delivered to the buyer by a third party after the transaction takes place.

"I was under the impression that Hong Kong has control of things, but these guys are just so obvious," Kirby said.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Anger over growing plague of pushers
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