Donald Trump-shaped Ecstasy pills surge in popularity in Hong Kong as seizure of drug leaps by more than 60 times

Surge in tally for first four months of 2018 fuelled by expats’ demand

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Hong Kong officials seized HK$2.2 million (US$280,300) of Ecstasy in the first four months of 2017. Photo: YouTube

Published: 8:46am, 9 Jun 2018Updated: 11:33pm, 9 Jun 2018

Seizures of Ecstasy in Hong Kong have jumped more than 60 times to about 30,000 tablets in the first four months of this year on foreign nationals’ demand, law enforcement officials said.

Amid the spike, ‘US President Donald Trump-shaped’ Ecstasy pills, a stronger version of the party drug long popular in Europe, have also been smuggled into the city. Sources said smugglers sent parcels from countries not typically associated with drug problems to evade attention.

The HK$2.2 million (US$280,300) in hauls from 20 cases have led to nine arrests so far. Customs and police officials only netted 486 Ecstasy tablets over the same period of 2017. This compared with 9,973 in the whole of last year and 5,861 in 2016.

The synthetic psychoactive drug – formally known as MDMA and also known as “molly and eckies” – is a stimulant and hallucinogen. It gained widespread use in the 1980s and was commonly abused and trafficked at rave parties.

Authorities believe local Hongkongers find Ecstasy outdated and are therefore not using it as much as foreign nationals in the city. Photo: YouTube

Seizures of Ecstasy numbered 283,568 in 2004 and started slumping from 11,984 in 2008 to only 170 in 2012.

“Local Hongkongers are not fans of Ecstasy as it is outdated,” a senior customs source said. “But many foreigners in the city still take this neat-and-tidy drug as it is easy and convenient to consume. You just have to swallow it and don’t need any applicators such as for Ice, crack cocaine and heroin.”