Police shut down huge Ecstasy factory in Hunghom

Four men held and charged as officers seize pills and ingredients worth $32m

Police have closed the biggest Ecstasy factory yet discovered in Hong Kong, a plant capable of producing $17 million worth of the drug every day.

Four men were arrested at the factory, which was discovered at an industrial site in Hunghom on Tuesday night. About 35kg of chemicals containing high concentrations of methylene-dioxy-methylamphetamine (MDMA) - enough to produce 300,000 tablets of Ecstasy - were seized when officers from the Narcotics Bureau raided the Hok Yuen street industrial unit on Tuesday night.

A mainland-made pill pressing machine, capable of producing 7,200 tablets an hour, was also discovered, along with 23,400 Ecstasy pills and 67kg of other materials used in the process, including caffeine and starch.

Police estimated that the seized Ecstasy tablets and ingredients were worth more than $32 million.

Senior Superintendent Philip Sham Wai-kin, of the Narcotics Bureau, said it was the fourth Ecstasy manufacturing plant discovered in Hong Kong in the past few years.

'We believe that such a huge quantity is too large for just the local market. We believe the finished products are for overseas markets as well,' he said.