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Customs officers display 104kg of meth seized at Hong Kong International Airport in December last year. Photo: Felix Wong

Hong Kong a key player in Asian drug trade as traffickers profit from integration: UN report

Seizures of crystal meth quadruple to 42 tonnes across region, says UN report

Bryan Harris

Seizures of methamphetamine across Asia have quadrupled as international crime syndicates reap huge profits on the back of growing regional economic integration and co-operation, according to a United Nations report.

The 35-page study identifies Hong Kong and the mainland as key players in the burgeoning narcotics trade, with seizures of the powerful stimulant crystal meth - more commonly known here as Ice - exploding fourfold from 11 tonnes in 2008 to 42 tonnes in 2013.

Releasing the report in Bangkok yesterday, Jeremy Douglas, regional representative for the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, said: "Increased cross-border trade, regional integration and reduced border restrictions … have also created opportunities for increasing the cross-border trafficking of drugs and the precursors needed to make them.

"It is undeniable that many positive economic opportunities and benefits are being seen, but the activity of transnational criminal groups involved in the region's synthetic drug trade is also increasing."

The report cites law enforcement authorities in the Philippines and Australia, which pinpoint Hong Kong as a base for syndicates smuggling crystal meth.

Earlier this month, Australian authorities revealed shipments of crystal meth were arriving in the country from Hong Kong at a rate of almost one a day.

New figures presented in the reports lay out in stark terms the exploding popularity of methamphetamine in its crystalline and tablet forms across the region.

Of the fourfold increase in seizures between 2008 and 2013, crystal meth doubled to about 14 tonnes, while there was an eightfold increase in methamphetamine tablets, popular in the Mekong sub-delta region.

The highly addictive and destructive stimulant is often manufactured in southern China, where syndicates exploit weak industry regulations to access the necessary chemical ingredients.

The report also cites police in the Philippines, who report that drug-trafficking syndicates on the mainland and in Hong Kong are behind much of the country's meth trade.

A Security Bureau spokesman said Hong Kong "spares no effort" in tackling drug smuggling and close partnerships with overseas agencies disrupted cross-boundary drug trafficking and the supply of illicit drugs.

"Specifically, intelligence exchange and joint operations have resulted in successful seizures both locally, on the mainland and in overseas jurisdictions.

"There is no evidence to suggest that Hong Kong is a significant illicit drug transshipment point,'' the spokesman said.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: 'Hong Kong key player in Asian drug scene'
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