XN000022-1984-01-13 — Page 4

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 1984

TWO MAIN FACTORS CAUSED THE CHANGE. FIRSTLY, ABUNDANT SUPPLIES HAVE LOWERED PRICES, MAKING SMALL SCALE IMPORTATION NO LONGER PROFITABLE AND SECONDLY, THE STRENGTHENING OF HONG KONG'S LEGAL TEETH.

NEW LEGISLATION INTRODUCED IN JANUARY LAST YEAR PROVIDED LEGAL SANCTIONS AGAINST OWNERS OF VESSELS FOUND TO BE INVOLVED IN SMUGGLING OF NARCOTICS IN EXCESSIVE QUANTITIES FOR TWO OR MORE OCCASIONS IN ANY 18-MONTH PERIOD, HE EXPLAINED.

SINCE THE INTRODUCTION OF THIS LAW, THERE HAS BEEN ONLY ONE CASE OF IMPORTATION BY OCEAN-GOING VESSEL. THIS PROVED THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE NEW LEGISLATION, HE ADDED.

OF THE MAIN CONCERNS OF THE CUSTOMS SERVICE LAST YEAR WAS THE REVIVAL OF THAI TRAWLER TRAFFIC WHICH HAD SUSPENDED FOR A FEW YEARS FOLLOWING THE LIQUIDATION OF SOME BIG DRUG SYNDICATES IN THE MID-SEVENTIES,

MR TONG ALSO SAID THAT SINCE THE DIRECT AIR LINK BETWEEN THAILAND AND CHINA STARTED IN APRIL 1981, 36 DRUGS TRAFFICKERS WERE APPREHENDED BY THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES AT GUANGZHOU AND BEIJING INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTS. A TOTAL OF 60 KG OF HEROIN AND HEROIN BASE DESTINATED FOR HONG KONG WERE SEIZED.

APART FROM AIR ROUTE, LAND TRAFFIC BETWEEN HONG KONG AND CHINA IS ALSO BEING EXPLOITED BY TRAFFICKERS.

+ IN VIEW OF THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE SITUATION, WE HAVE STEPPED UP CONTROLS AT ALL THE ENTRY CHECK POINTS BY INSTALLING X-RAY MACHINES, METAL DETECTOR DOORS. IN ADDITION, WE HAVE STRENGTHENED OUR MANPOWER WITH SOME 1 500 CUSTOMS OFFICERS STATION AT VARIOUS ENTRY POINTS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PREVENTION OF NARCOTICS COMING INTO AND OUT OF HONG KONG, HE SAID.

MR TONG POINTED OUT THAT A LIASION NETWORK HAD BEEN SET UP SINCE THE END OF 1982 BETWEEN HONG KONG AND CHINA CUSTOMS AUTHORITIES, ITS MAIN OBJECTIVE IS TO FACILITATE THE EXCHANGE OF INTELLIGENCE AND INFORMATION. FORMAL COMMUNICATION LINK HAS BEEN SET UP BETWEEN THE TWO SIDES AND REGULAR MEETINGS HELD.

+THIS BILATERAL ARRANGEMENT ENABLED THE HONG KONG CUSTOMS TO MAKE THE FIRST DRUG SEIZURE FROM CHINA IN APRIL LAST YEAR WHEN A HONG KONG RESIDENT RETURNED FROM CHINA VIA LO WU WITH 2.5 KG OF OPIUM. FOLLOW-UP INVESTIGATION LED TO A FURTHER ARREST OF THREE PERSONS AND THE SEIZURE OF 10 KG OF OPIUM.+

LOCALLY, MR TONG SAID, NO. 3 HEROIN CONTINUED TO BE THE MAIN DRUG OF ABUSE.

+ACCORDING TO RECENT FIGURES PROVIDED BY THE CENTRAL REGISTRY OF DRUG ABUSE, THE DRUG POPULATION IN HONG KONG IS AROUND 45 000 OR 0.8 PER CENT OF HONG KONG'S TOTAL POPULATION, AMONG WHOM MORE THAN 95 PER CENT ARE HEROIN ADDICTS AS COMPARED WITH LESS THAN 3 PER CENT OF OPIUM ADDICTS.

/LAST YEAR,