PUBLIC ORDER
During the year, 75 kilograms of heroin, 46 kilograms of opium and 58 kilograms of cannabis were seized. A total of 883 persons were charged with drug offences.
Drug Trafficking (Recovery of Proceeds)
The department and the police have joint responsibility for enforcing the Drug Trafficking (Recovery of Proceeds) Ordinance and the Designated Countries and Territories Order 1991 made under it.
On application from the department, the court issued 17 orders prohibiting dealing with realisable properties suspected to be proceeds of drug trafficking, including two orders issued at the request of one country. Some six cases were concluded by the department and the court ordered the confiscation of $595,308-worth of assets.
Anti-smuggling and Import and Export Controls
In 1991, the department detected 714 smuggling cases under the Import and Export Ordinance, arrested 1 202 persons and seized $157 million worth of goods.
Smuggling by sea between Hong Kong and China continued to be rampant early in 1991. Local fishing vessels, Chinese territory vesssels and high-powered speedboats were frequently used for this purpose. Smugglers operated mainly at night carrying to China large quantities of television sets, video cassette recorders, cigarettes, air-conditioners and stolen vehicles.
In February, an Anti-smuggling Task Force comprising personnel from the Customs, the Police and the Royal Navy was formed to deal specifically with the smuggling activities to and from China by the use of speedboats. Two legislative amendments were made in April to support the anti-smuggling operations. The Import and Export (Amendment) Ordinance 1991 made it an offence to construct, repair or service a speedboat intended to be used for smuggling. The Import and Export (Carriage of Articles) Regulations 1991 prohibited the carriage of television sets, video cassette recorders, video cassette players, refrigerators, air-conditioners, vehicles and vehicle parts by vessels of less than 250 tons without a licence. Since the setting up of the Task Force and the enactment of these legislative amendments, smuggling activities by high-powered speedboats have decreased significantly.
In order to tighten control of strategic commodities, the Import and Export (Amendment) (No. 2) Ordinance 1991 and the Import and Export (Strategic Commodities) (Amendment) Regulations 1991 came into effect in July 1991. They extended controls on the transit of certain strategic goods and other items suitable for use in connection with nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.
Enforcement of Intellectual Property Protection Legislation
The department investigates complaints alleging infringement of trade marks and copyright as well as false trade descriptions. It collaborates with overseas enforcement authorities and owners of trade marks and copyright in a concerted effort to combat counterfeiting and piracy.
The level of copyright infringement activities remained relatively low in 1991. The piracy of computer software and video tapes was greatly reduced following the neutralisation of several large-scale illegal reproduction and distribution centres and the seizure of $3 million-worth of computer and video products.
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