📋 Tender Overview
The Commissioner of Customs and Excise Ms Louise Ho chaired the 2022 year-end press conference held at the Customs Headquarters Building March 1 to give a review of the departments law enforcement results and sustainability in the provision of trade facilitation during the year. She also outlined the departments determination to strengthen Hong Kong as a connecting platform between the Mainland and the world in order to capitalise on Hong Kongs unique advantages of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world to proactively integrate into the overall development of the country and to join hands in building a safe and efficient economic and trade environment.Overall enforcement situationIn 2022 a total of 7 148 cases were detected 8 per cent fewer than in 2021. About 48 per cent of the cases are related to illicit cigarettes followed by cases related to dangerous drugs and intellectual property rights infringement.Dangerous drugsIn 2022 931 drug cases were detected which was a 3 per cent increase from the 2021 figure. A total seizure of about 6.9 tonnes of drugs was made representing a surge of 70 per cent from 2021.Major seizures in quantity order were methamphetamine Ice 3 127.2 kilograms a 1.5-fold increase cocaine 1 016.3kg an increase of 17 per cent cannabis 807.8kg an increase of 4 per cent ketamine 638.5kg an increase of 6 per cent and ecstasy 367 966 tablets an increase of 48 per cent while the total heroin seizure fell 49 per cent to 91.6kg compared to 2021s figure.The pandemic has changed the trend and mode of drug trafficking. As transnational drug cartels are highly organised and collude among themselves drug trafficking activities have become more internationalised and cartelised. As a result there is a significant increase in the number of major cases by sea or by air detected in recent years with Ice and cocaine being the dominant ones. Hong Kong is not alone in this regard as the entire Asia-Pacific region is facing the same challenge. Regional law enforcement co-operation is particularly important to effectively combat drug trafficking activities.
