6 suspected drug traffickers arrested and HK$63 million in narcotics seized in Hong Kong
- Officers find more than 80kg of cocaine, Ice and liquified methamphetamine in raids carried out in Yuen Long, Mong Kok, Fanling and Sha Tin
- Police seized 910kg of cocaine in the first six months of this year, compared with 17kg in the same period last year
Hong Kong police have arrested six suspected drug traffickers and seized HK$63 million (US$8.11 million) worth of illegal drugs in multiple raids.
Officers apprehended two male suspects, aged 22 and 23, outside a village house in Yuen Long on Sunday night and found 1kg of suspected cocaine on one of them. Inside the house, officers seized another 21.5kg of what appeared to be methamphetamine, also known as Ice.
Investigators discovered liquified methamphetamine in 130 out of 800 bottles labelled as avocado cooking oil, along with drug-making equipment.
“We estimated that about 39kg of Ice could be extracted from the seized liquified methamphetamine,” Chief Inspector Ip Sau-lan of the narcotics bureau said.
In a follow-up raid on a subdivided flat in Mong Kok, police found another 5kg of cocaine.
The operation netted a total of 65.5kg of illegal drugs, with an estimated street value of HK$40.2 million, Ip said.
According to police, one of the two suspects detained in Yuen Long was charged with trafficking in a dangerous drug and the manufacture of drugs and would appear in Tuen Mun Court on Wednesday.
Officers on Monday stopped two women aged 19 and 20 outside a house at Ko Po North Tsuen in Fanling and seized 205 grams of crack cocaine in a plastic bag one was allegedly carrying.
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Inside the house, which the pair rented along with a 25-year-old man found at the scene, police seized more than 16kg of illegal drugs, including crystal meth, cocaine and ketamine. The haul was estimated to be worth about HK$17.5 million. The man was also arrested.
The chief inspector said police were still investigating whether the two cases were linked.
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As of Tuesday afternoon, the three suspects, who were unemployed, were being held for questioning. Ip said they were likely to be charged with drug-related offences and would appear in Fanling Court on Wednesday.
In a third case, officers from the New Territories South regional crime unit arrested a 33-year-old woman and seized HK$5.47 million worth of crystal meth in a raid on a hotel room in Sha Tin on Monday.
Superintendent Chan Kong-ming of the narcotics bureau said drug dealers offered as much as thousands of dollars to lure underemployed or jobless people into the trade. He vowed to enhance intelligence-gathering and carry out timely enforcement to combat such illegal activities.
Police seized 910kg of cocaine in the first six months of this year, compared with 17kg in the same period last year. Ketamine seizures rose by 340 per cent to 1.08 tonnes between January and June this year, compared with 247kg over the same period the year before.
Crystal meth seizures dropped sharply to 78kg in the first six months of the year from 348kg over the same period last year.
