Hong Kong’s changing drug trade
By BBC News – Thursday, 8 June, 2000
Copyright: BBC News
Hong Kong used to be a major centre for drugs shipments between Asia and the rest of the world – but that is changing.
Drugs traffickers are finding new and simpler routes for their illicit trade
Law enforcement agencies say the city still provides much of the finance and expertise behind the scenes, but many shipments no longer pass through the territory.
Strict law-enforcement in Hong Kong itself means there is now a higher chance that consignments of drugs will be detected if they pass through its ports and airports.
Finance centre
“Hong Kong is receding in importance in terms of physically handling drugs” says Senior Inspector Peter Tarrant of Hong Kong Police’s Narcotics Bureau.
“In the past the United States has labelled Hong Kong as a transhipment zone, but now the situation is different.
“But there are still a lot of figures here who have the connections and finances to put shipments together, and the contacts abroad to receive them. Often they put up the money but don’t handle the drugs.”
The major trade is in heroin and an amphetamine known as “ice” (or, more technically, methamphetamine) which is widely used in Asia, in particular in Taiwan and Japan.
The heroin originates in the Golden Triangle area of South East Asia. From the poppy-growing fields of Burma, Thailand and Laos, it is smuggled through Southern China and then on to its markets.
Seizures
“The flow of heroin from the Golden Triangle is generally eastwards,” says Senior Inspector Peter Tarrant. “Europe is supplied by West Asia, the American supply tends to come from South America and Mexico, the Golden Triangle tends to supply Asia.
“But the old idea of Thai trawlers entering Hong Kong waters with a container of drugs tied underneath the boat, before passing them on to local fishermen, they’re over now.”
In the past year the Hong Kong police have made several major seizures. In November 1999, 70kg of heroin was intercepted close to China in the New Territories and a similar amount was seized in the same area in March 2000.
Both these consignments were thought to be heading for distribution in Hong Kong itself. Their combined street value was around US $20 million.
China is the source for much of Asia’s “ice”. Ephedrine, which is an important component of ice, is commonly used in Chinese medicines and is widely available.
Spreading the risk
In May Hong Kong Police arrested two men alleged to be packing the drug into a container for shipment to Australia.
