Hong Kong seizes record HK$2.2 billion worth of narcotics in 2020 as Covid-19 forces syndicates to send drugs by air cargo
- Customs enforcers seized nearly 950kg of cocaine in 2020, the largest single-year haul in almost two decades
- Syndicates changed tactics, dumping human couriers as pandemic disrupted air travel
Hong Kong customs enforcers seized more than 3½ tonnes of illegal drugs worth almost HK$2.2 billion (US$284 million) in 2020, the largest amount in a single year since records began nearly two decades ago, new figures obtained by the Post reveal.
The biggest success was the seizure of nearly 950kg of cocaine over the course of 2020, the largest amount confiscated in a single year since records began in 2002, and far more than the 627kg seized in 2019. Most of the cocaine seized originated from South America.
Last March, customs officers found 217kg of cocaine, worth HK$246 million, hidden in an aircraft engine being transported from Ecuador.
Last year’s drug seizures exceeded the totals from the two previous years combined. Customs officers seized 2.15 tonnes in 2019 and 1.32 tonnes in 2018.