Hong Kong police have rounded up 262 people, some as young as 15 years old, and confiscated HK$759 million (US$97.3 million) worth of illegal drugs in a 35-day citywide operation during this year’s summer holiday.
The force said on Tuesday that seven students were among the 262 suspects arrested for various offences such as manufacturing narcotics, trafficking in dangerous substances, or operating drug dens during the operation, code-named “Tailbacker”.
Senior Inspector Tong Wai-kwok of the narcotics bureau said the two youngest arrestees were a 15-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl.
“The 15-year-old boy was detained on suspicion of trafficking 34 grams [1.2 ounces] of suspected crack cocaine and 8.6 grams of suspected ketamine, while the girl was apprehended for possessing 0.84 grams of suspected cocaine,” Tong said.
Drug dealers usually recruited young people for drug trafficking activities to evade arrest and hide the risks, he said.
