Customs officers have arrested 10 individuals and seized around 240 kilos of suspected narcotics, with an estimated street value of HK$56 million, following a month-long international anti-trafficking operation.

Dubbed "Flame Mesh", the enforcement drive ran from July 13 to August 17 and was aimed at disrupting drug syndicates using Hong Kong as a transit hub to funnel cannabis from Southeast Asia into Europe and Africa.

Those taken into custody include nine men and one woman, aged between 18 and 57.

Acting Senior Inspector Chan Kai-hin, from the Airport Command’s Apron Division, said most of the detained travellers had flown in from Southeast Asia and were passing through Hong Kong en route to European or African destinations.

He noted that X-ray scans of their luggage revealed no personal belongings — only suspicious packages — which prompted officers to move in.

Senior Investigator Chow Kai-kwong, from the Customs Drug Investigation Bureau’s Airport Investigation Group, added that investigations pointed to a trafficking ring using financial incentives to recruit individuals of various nationalities to smuggle cannabis out of Southeast Asia via Hong Kong, in an effort to bypass law enforcement scrutiny.

"We believe that this operation has successfully disrupted the syndicate's route of using Hong Kong as a springboard to traffic drugs to Europe and Africa," he said.

"In view of drug syndicates using Hong Kong as a cover, customs will continue to monitor the latest trends, step up random checks on suspicious baggage based on risk assessment, and bring offenders to justice."

He also reaffirmed that the department would maintain close ties with overseas customs agencies through intelligence-sharing and joint missions, with the aim of tracing drug sources and combating cross-border trafficking networks.



Edited by Tony Sabine