Sixtyfold increase in seizure of drugs as Hong Kong police confiscate 1.8 tonnes of cocaine and ketamine between January and May
- Officer attributes dramatic rise in seizure to enhanced enforcement against sea-route smuggling
- More than a quarter of those arrested were students, including a boy aged 14
Hong Kong police seized nearly 1.8 tonnes of cocaine and ketamine in the first five months of this year – about 60 times the total seizure made over the same period in 2020.
Acting chief superintendent Ng Wing-sze of the narcotics bureau also said more than a quarter of the nearly 280 people arrested for drugs-related offences during the period were students, including a 14-year-old boy.
Ng attributed the dramatic rise in seizures to enhanced enforcement action after investigations showed traffickers had been using sea routes to smuggle drugs into the city.
She said the use of drug mules had stopped because of coronavirus-related travel restrictions, adding that seaborne shipments could carry a larger volume of narcotics. Ng said the force had seized a large amount of illegal drugs this year after enhancing intelligence exchanges with customs.
In February, police made their biggest-ever seizure of ketamine, uncovering a 682kg stash valued at HK$437 million (US$56 million). The haul was shipped from Pakistan in packages labelled as containing macaroni.
