HONG KONG: Hong Kong Customs $7.5m worth of P bound for New Zealand was seized in Hong Kong, it said. Customs seizures reached record levels over summer and so far this year methamphetamine seizures were almost double than at the same time last year, says border operations manager Shane Panettiere.
In six months, border guards had made 1660 separate drug seizures and while only about 250 were either methamphetamine or its precursors, they made up more than half of the volume seized. It was not uncommon for Customs to intercept several kilograms of methamphetamine or precursors in each seizure, sometimes on a daily basis, Mr Panettiere said.
“A major shift in precursors over the last 18 months is the import of ephedrine instead of pseudoephedrine.” Other drugs seized were class C analogues, cannabis and its products, prescription medicines, ecstasy and controlled medicines. Most of the high-frequency, low quantity drugs were seized through mail or air cargo, suggesting they were bought online through websites selling illegal drugs.
