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Stella Lee

The cross-border war on drugs is to be stepped up amid rising fears among Hong Kong and Guangdong Customs officials over Ecstasy smuggling.

Both sets of officials say thousands of tablets of the party drug are being smuggled between Guangdong and the SAR by trafficking gangs supplying overseas markets.

They are also worried about the burgeoning use of Ecstasy by youngsters on both sides of the border.

Hong Kong police and Customs officers have recorded big rises in the number of the drugs seized in the first three months of this year, compared to 2000.

Liu Wenjie, director-general of the Guangdong sub-administration of the Customs General Administration, said yesterday his officers had recently seized a 24kg haul of Ecstasy at Guangzhou Baiyun airport.

'We usually count Ecstasy tablets individually. But [this is] close to 100,000 tablets. This demonstrates drug-smuggling activities are rampant. Another several kilograms of the drug was seized at the airport just a few days ago,' said Mr Liu.

He said most of the drugs seized in Guangdong were smuggled in by plane from neighbouring countries.

'But we believe the drugs are not only intended for local consumption but also for distribution elsewhere.'

He said mainland officials would step up the fight on drug smuggling with enhanced co-operation with Hong Kong, which he said was often a transit point for smugglers.

Commissioner of the SAR Customs and Excise John Tsang Chun-wah acknowledged the increased co-operation. 'We attach great emphasis to the problem. Many young people like going to Shenzhen to take drugs,' he said.

Mr Tsang said Customs had appointed liaison officers at border checkpoints to contact their mainland counterparts.

Hong Kong Customs seized 3,735 Ecstasy tablets between January and March 28 at Lowu, almost equalling the record 3,746 tablets seized in the whole of last year. There were only eight tablets found in 1999 at the checkpoint.

Police have also seized 117,532 Ecstasy tablets in Hong Kong in the first quarter, almost four times the amount found in the same period last year.

A total of 2,313 people were found taking Ecstasy last year, six times the 1999 figure.

Mr Liu and Mr Tsang were speaking as a 101-strong Guangdong delegation made its first visit to the SAR - a reciprocal visit following a trip by SAR officers to Shenzhen in November.



Cross-border drug battle intensifies