Australian police report shows crystal meth trail leading back to Hong Kong
Report shows that a shipment of Ice from the city arrives Down Under nearly every day
Hong Kong's role in the global trade in crystal meth has been laid out in stark terms by a new report, which reveals that a consignment of the illegal stimulant arrives in Australia from the city at the rate of almost one a day.
Between July 2013 and June last year, 331 shipments of the drug from Hong Kong, weighing a total of 456kg, were discovered by Australian authorities, according to yesterday's report by the Australian Crime Commission.
Hong Kong's figures were only surpassed by those of the mainland, which the report described as the "primary embarkation point" after 778kg of crystal methamphetamine - also known as Ice - was found in 277 shipments over the same period.
The report came as a Hong Kong man appeared in court in Sydney yesterday, charged with trying to smuggle 150kg of Ice from Hong Kong last month.
The 66-year-old, who police believe was operating as part of a crime syndicate, was arrested on Thursday for his alleged role in the shipment, estimated to be worth about A$100 million (HK$628 million).
Countries across the region are facing what Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott last month called a "meth epidemic".
Soaring demand for the highly addictive stimulant is being met by syndicates, often based in southern China, who can cheaply make Ice and sell it for a massive mark-up.
A senior law-enforcement source explained the difficulties of tackling the meth trade by comparing it to water seeping through floorboards or "roaches finding their way to food". "These syndicates can afford to lose nine out of every 10 shipments. It will never stop until either the price or demand falls," the source said.
Australia is a particularly lucrative market for Ice traffickers. Demand for the drug is booming - the number of users doubled between 2010 and 2013 - while the average sale price is often 10 times higher than in other markets in the region.
"In my 38 years in law enforcement, I have never seen a substance as destructive as [meth], particularly crystal meth. [It] is wreaking havoc in every state and territory. It is ruining lives, families and communities," said Chris Dawson, CEO of the Australian Crime Commission, in the latest report.
Most of the Ice in the region comes from China, particularly Guangdong province, where drug traffickers take advantage of lax controls in the chemical industry to access the precursor materials - such as ephedrine and pseudoephedrine - needed to make the drug.
Lufeng county has gained notoriety in recent times after a number of massive seizures, including a 2.4-tonne haul made in February.
Officials in Hong Kong have repeatedly denied that Hong Kong is a hub or transit point for drug-smuggling, despite a record number of drug busts at the airport last year.
The 118 per cent year-on-year rise in the number of cases detected at Chek Lap Kok was attributable to "enhanced enforcement and intelligence", not increased drug trafficking, customs chiefs said.
