Hong Kong customs crackdown disrupts shipments of banned drug kratom with street value of more than HK$150 million
- Most of the seized illegal substance arrived from Indonesia and was headed to the US, Canada or the Netherlands
- Customs watching closely to see if smugglers have switched to moving kratom by sea rather than air
Hong Kong customs officials have seized more than HK$150 million (US$19.1 million) worth of the potentially addictive substance kratom since the city banned it last August.
They seized 58 tonnes of mitragynine – the major compound in kratom – in 23 cases over the past seven months, official data showed.
Most of the illegal substance arrived from Indonesia by air and sea and was on its way to the United States, Canada or the Netherlands, according to the Customs and Excise Department.
Kratom, also known as ketum, is made from the leaves of the Mitragyna speciosa tree native to parts of Southeast Asia, including Indonesia and Thailand.
The leaves contain chemical compounds that can act either as a stimulant when consumed in small doses or a sedative when taken in larger quantities.
Long used in traditional medicine in the region, kratom has in recent years appeared in the US and other places, where some call it “legal heroin” and users claim it can lift their mood, relieve pain and treat addiction to opioids.
A Hong Kong customs spokesman said the seizures reflected stringent enforcement efforts and showed that the city was not “a dangerous drug transshipment hub”.