Three held, suspected narcotics worth over HK$1.1 million seized in Hong Kong police swoop on illegal drugs
- Officers lay an ambush outside a hotel on Tai Kok Tsui Road in Mong Kok on Tuesday and arrest three suspects
- About 1.3kg of suspected crystal meth, 260 grams of suspected heroin and 28 grams of suspected crack cocaine were seized
Police arrested three Hongkongers and confiscated more than HK$1.1 million (US$141,000) worth of suspected illegal drugs while raiding a hotel room in the city on Tuesday.
After receiving intelligence, officers from the special duties squad of Yau Tsim police district laid an ambush outside a hotel on Tai Kok Tsui Road in Mong Kok around midday on Tuesday.
At about 1pm, police intercepted a 40-year-old man who was found acting suspiciously in the area and seized 3.4 grams of suspected crack cocaine from him.
Hong Kong seizes record HK$2.2 billion worth of narcotics in 2020
In a follow-up raid on one of the rooms in the hotel, “officers seized about 1.3kg of suspected Ice [also known as crystal meth] along with 260 grams of suspected heroin and 24 grams of suspected crack cocaine,” police said in their statement.
“The seized illegal drugs have a street value of about HK$1.14 million in total.”
Inside the hotel room, officers also apprehended another man aged 34 and a 32-year-old woman.
The three were arrested on suspicion of trafficking in a dangerous drug – an offence that carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and a HK$5 million fine. Police also arrested the 40-year-old man for possession of illegal drugs.
As of Wednesday morning, the three were still in police custody.
HK$2.25 million in liquid cocaine labelled ‘health food’ latest Hong Kong airport drug bust
Seizure of crystal meth in Hong Kong rose by nearly 820 per cent to 1,499kg in 2020 from 163kg in 2019. Local authorities also seized 368kg of heroin last year, a 683 per cent rise from 47kg the previous year.
