Hong Kong customs seizes 2.6 tonnes of drugs worth HK$1 billion in first quarter
More than 100 arrested in air-land-sea anti-narcotics operation, with 33 per cent increase in drug haul compared with same period in 2024
Hong Kong customs confiscated more than 2.6 tonnes of illegal drugs valued at HK$1.1 billion (US$141.8 million) and arrested 102 people in an air-land-sea anti-narcotics operation in the first quarter of the year, the Post has learned.
The latest figures obtained by the Post show the total amount of drugs seized marked a 33 per cent increase from the 1.96 tonnes of narcotics, worth HK$800 million, that were confiscated during the same period last year.
In the first three months of 2024, authorities also rounded up 93 suspects.
“The amount of narcotics seized through seaborne channels tripled to 1,277kg [2,815lbs] this year, compared with 320kg over the same period last year,” a source said.
The insider added that officers were gathering intelligence and monitoring the situation to determine if drug dealers had shifted to seaborne channels to smuggle illegal substances into the city.
One notable case involved the seizure of 680kg of suspected crystal meth, valued at HK$360 million, hidden in heating panels within a seaborne shipment from Mexico on February 10. Customs officers arrested three men in connection with the case.