HONG KONG: The city’s security chief pledged to step up efforts to combat drug trafficking after new figures showed seizures of ketamine and cocaine in the first four months of the year were up 100 per cent or more on the same period last year.
Data released by the government’s Fight Crime Committee here the other day showed the amount of cocaine seized between January and last month was 120kg, up 160.9 per cent from the 46kg found in the period last year.
Seizures of party drug ketamine also recorded a 100 per cent rise, to 236kg from 118kg last year.
Methamphetamine, commonly known as Ice, was up 21.6 per cent to 152kg, and the amount of cannabis netted saw a two per cent rise at 52kg. Ecstasy-type drugs seized increased by two tablets, to 107.
Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok said yesterday over half of the seizures in the first four months were made at border checkpoints. He said the security bureau would continue to work with international law enforcement agencies and adopt an intelligence-led approach to combating drug trafficking.
Lai also said law enforcement departments would enhance the use of Section 56A of the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance when prosecuting drug traffickers who hire young people to handle drugs.
The law empowers courts to impose a more severe sentence on an adult offender found to have engaged an underage person in a drug-related offence.
“The Narcotics Division will step up its efforts to educate the public and monitor the situation, so as to rectify the very wrong thinking that [engaging] young offenders will lead to more lenient punishment,” he said.
The increases in seizures came despite a 10 per cent drop in the total number of drug-related cases in the first four months.
During the period, 661 serious drug cases were reported, down 73 cases from the same period last year. Some 601 involved psychiatric drugs while 56 cases involved heroin.
A total of 882 people were arrested in these cases, down 42 compared with the figures from the corresponding period last year.
Overall, 22,412 crimes were reported between January and April, constituting a 1.4 per cent increase from the 22,112 cases in the same year last year.
But the number of violent crimes dropped 4.9 per cent, from 3,495 to 3,324.
