Police arrest 184 people in anti-drugs operation

Police said on Monday they had arrested 184 people and seized more than HK$50 million worth of cannabis, ketamine, cocaine, heroin and ice in an operation aimed at combating illegal drugs ahead of the summer holiday.

Officers said they had seized a total of 223 kilogrammes of the illegal drugs during their 15-day operation, in various districts around the city.

A chief inspector of the police’s Narcotics Bureau Alexandra Ip, said the force was concerned that drug syndicates might recruit young people during the holiday period.

She said young people who were stuck at home during the pandemic might easily come across drug sellers online.

Among those who had been arrested, 17 are students, she said.

Ip said officers also uncovered an indoor cannabis farm in Yuen Long.

“We believe that the seized drugs are mostly for local consumption. Regarding the cannabis cultivation centre, we believe it’s for local distribution because it is planted in a local area,” she said.