Customs officers have seized 2.3 tonnes of drugs with an estimated market value of HK$970 million at the airport in the first half, up more than 80 percent compared to the same period last year.
The 2.3 tonnes of suspected dangerous drugs, seized in 604 incidents, made up 88 percent of the 2.6 tonnes, the highest proportion in the past 10 years, that were hauled in all ports of entry.
By quantity, the top seizures were of cannabis (572 kilograms), ketamine (504 kg), methamphetamine (436 kg) and cocaine (241 kg).
Cannabis saw the sharpest increase, from 98 kg to 572 kg, a nearly fivefold increase.
Airport officers also logged up 25 cannabidiol-related cases, of which 18 were found in cargo channels and seven in passenger channels since February 1, when new laws regulating CDB took effect.
Officers say the surge is due to the resumption of travel and the steady increase in visitor numbers.
“We found recently that criminals like to put narcotics under five kilograms into small parcels. We have detected 516 cases this half year using this strategy, a 70 percent increase compared with the same period last year,” said superintendent Sky Fung Wai-ching of the drug investigation bureau yesterday.
“We believe the drug trafficking syndicates try to use this strategy to lower the risk,” Fung added.
Another new strategy used by traffickers, called “catch fish in troubled waters” by officers, saw 86 cases. The strategy refers to the act of putting small amounts of drugs into large amounts of ordinary goods, increasing the difficulty involved in detection.
“In November, we had a case where traffickers tried to ship in two pillows from the United States that was soaked in liquid meth, weighed four kilograms and were worth HK$2 million,” said superintendent Cheung Ka-chung of the air cargo group.
There were also 26 incidents where passengers carried drugs on their persons or in suitcases, compared to only five cases in the same period last year.