Fashion designer held in drugs ambush

An unemployed fashion designer was arrested in Sha Tin while allegedly making a drug delivery - work which police officers said could earn him as much as HK$100,000 a month.

The university graduate, 24, was apprehended when he picked up his car in a police ambush at the car park of Mei Chung Court in Mei Tin Road.

Crime-squad officers found 70 grams of drugs worth HK$15,000. Police also seized HK$30,000 in cash and a suspected fake identity card.

Police are hunting for an accomplice who took telephone orders from clients.

A police officer said intelligence indicated that the unemployed university graduate received more than 10 delivery orders a day and then drove to sell drugs to office workers and students.

'During our surveillance, he had driven to Kowloon Tong and To Kwa Wan and sold drugs to office ladies on the street during lunchtime,' the officer said.

'Investigation also showed he delivered drugs to entertainment venues in Kowloon and sold drugs to youths on the streets in Sha Tin and Tsuen Wan.'

Police were told that he had been involved in the trade for about six months and could make HK$100,000 a month.

The man had once been a fashion designer and also worked in a pub as a waiter after graduating from a local university about two years ago. He lives with his parents and younger brother, a university student.

'The suspect has been unemployed for about six months. We believe he was unable to find a job and then became a drug trafficker to make quick money,' another police officer said.

The man was placed under surveillance after officers from New Territories South regional crime unit received a tip-off about three weeks ago.

Figures show that 580kg of cocaine was seized last year, a sharp rise from 103kg in 2009. But seizures of ketamine dropped by 60 per cent to 189kg last year from 472kg in 2009.