Latest news with #DangerousDrugsOrdinance
RTHK
6 days ago
- Health
- RTHK
Ban on space oil ingredients 'stops drug production'
Ban on space oil ingredients 'stops drug production' Henry Tong welcomes the government's proposal to ban all etomidate analogues. File photo: RTHK The government's latest proposal to ban all synthetic versions of a space oil drug ingredient can effectively prevent the production of different types of the drug, chairman of the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health Henry Tong said. The Security Bureau on Tuesday proposed introducing a generic definition of etomidate analogues under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, empowering law enforcement agencies to ban the trafficking of all etomidate analogues. Tong told RTHK that he welcomes the bureau's action. 'That's an effective way to prevent criminals from keep creating different space oil drugs,' he said. Tong also appealed to the government to impose a complete ban on the possession of e-cigarettes, which he said are the 'main and only device' for young people to take the space oil drug. 'If the government can outlaw the possession of any e-cigarettes in Hong Kong, that sends a very clear message to all the people that e-cigarette itself, the device itself, is illegal and dangerous,' he said. Tong also said many students became drug users due to various reasons, such as coming from broken families, suffering mental stress or having been bullied by other students.
RTHK
6 days ago
- Health
- RTHK
Ban on space oil ingredients 'stops drug production'
Ban on space oil ingredients 'stops drug production' Henry Tong welcomes the government's proposal to ban all etomidate analogues. File photo: RTHK The government's latest proposal to ban all synthetic versions of a space oil drug ingredient can effectively prevent the production of different types of the drug, chairman of the Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health Henry Tong said. The Security Bureau on Tuesday proposed introducing a generic definition of etomidate analogues under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, empowering law enforcement agencies to ban the trafficking of all etomidate analogues. Tong told RTHK that he welcomes the bureau's action. 'That's an effective way to prevent criminals from keep creating different space oil drugs,' he said. Tong also appealed to the government to impose a complete ban on the possession of e-cigarettes, which he said are the 'main and only device' for young people to take the space oil drug. 'If the government can outlaw the possession of any e-cigarettes in Hong Kong, that sends a very clear message to all the people that e-cigarette itself, the device itself, is illegal and dangerous,' he said. Tong also said many students became drug users due to various reasons, such as coming from broken families, suffering mental stress or having been bullied by other students.
RTHK
7 days ago
- Health
- RTHK
HK aims to widen ban on space oil ingredients
HK aims to widen ban on space oil ingredients Commissioner for Narcotics Kesson Lee said Hong Kong would be the first place in the world to ban all etomidate analogues. File photo: RTHK The Security Bureau has proposed classifying all synthetic versions of etomidate, a space oil drug ingredient, as dangerous drugs. Speaking to the Legislative Council's security panel on Tuesday, Commissioner for Narcotics Kesson Lee noted that the government banned etomidate and its three analogues in February. However, scientific studies have proven that other analogues may also be turned into illegal drugs, despite the differences in their chemical structures, he said. 'It's just like no matter how a monster changes its form, it's still a monster.' Lee proposed introducing a generic definition of etomidate analogues under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, empowering law enforcement agencies to ban the trafficking of all etomidate analogues in a pre-emptive step. Lee said Hong Kong recorded 191 space oil drug abusers in the first quarter of this year, among which 128 were aged under 21. Since the government listed etomidate as a dangerous drug on February 14, the authorities have arrested 315 people and prevented at least 150,000 e-cartridges infused with the substance from entering the local market, authorities said. In addition, the government has vowed to step up the control of new dangerous chemicals, proposing to regulate six substances that have been put under international control recently.
HKFP
30-04-2025
- HKFP
Hong Kong police arrest 99 people, aged 13 to 74, in citywide drug trafficking crackdown
Hong Kong police have arrested 99 people, aged between 13 and 74, following a citywide crackdown on drug trafficking over the past month. 'The arrested persons included 74 men and 25 women,' Senior Inspector Ho Ho-ting of the police force's narcotics bureau said in Cantonese during a press conference on Tuesday. 'Among the 99 arrested, 19 are under the age of 21, and nine of them are students,' he added. The inspector said that following the citywide operation from March 30 to April 26, police seized 220 kilogrammes of drugs, ranging from cocaine and ketamine to cannabis and ' space oil,' with an estimated market value of HK$117 million. The bust included 51 kilogrammes of cocaine, 81 kilogrammes of ketamine, 33 kilogrammes of heroin, one kilogramme of ice, 669 cannabis plants, more than 12 kilogrammes of cannabis, and around 900 capsules of cannabis oil, Ho said. Police also confiscated around 2,500 capsules of space oil, a newly outlawed dangerous drug that is commonly inhaled through an e-cigarette and has been popular among youth. The force seized around 1.1 litres of liquid etomidate – a short-acting anaesthetic agent and the main ingredient of space oil – and one kilogramme of powdered etomidate, the inspector said. 'The liquid and powdered etomidate seized is believed to be capable of producing an additional 12,000 capsules of space oil,' Ho said. Social media Police alleged that some of the suspects were part of a drug-trafficking syndicate that used social media platforms to deal drugs. Undercover police officers first posed as customers to identify the drug sellers online, Ho said. Afterwards, police raided two premises in Yau Tong and Kai Tak that were used by the syndicate to store and distribute drugs. The force arrested a 27-year-old man, allegedly the syndicate leader who controlled the social media accounts and arranged drug trafficking, as well as six others who assisted in drug sales and delivery. The syndicate's social media platforms have also been deactivated, Ho added. Some of the suspects were charged with drug trafficking and conspiring to traffic dangerous drugs, and they were brought to court on April 19 and 25. 'We believe some of them recruited minors to traffic drugs,' Ho said, adding that police would ask the court for heavier sentences because of their role in recruiting young people to commit crimes. As of the end of March, police had arrested 171 people over the sale of etomidate and space oil, with 38 of them under the age of 21, Ho added. Hong Kong classified etomidate as a dangerous drug in February in an attempt to crack down on its emerging use as a recreational drug. Similar substances, such as metomidate, propoxate, and isopropoxate, were also added to the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, putting them in the same category as ketamine and cocaine.
RTHK
29-04-2025
- RTHK
99 busted as raids bring HK$110m haul of drugs
99 busted as raids bring HK$110m haul of drugs Officers seized 220 kilogrammes of drugs worth over HK$110 million. Photo: RTHK Police said on Tuesday 99 people have been arrested on suspicion of manufacturing, trafficking and possession of dangerous drugs in citywide operations over the past month. Officers seized 220 kilogrammes of drugs worth over HK$110 million. They included cocaine, cannabis buds, methamphetamine, ketamine and space oil. Nineteen of the suspects were under 21, with the youngest being just 13 years old. In one undercover operation, officers dismantled a drug syndicate operating on social media platforms that had storage facilities in Yau Tong and Kai Tak. Regarding the involvement of minors in drug trafficking, police said heavier penalties would be sought under the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance. The force said it's working with schools and social workers to raise awareness about emerging drugs like space oil. "Police will continue taking a zero-tolerance approach in combating drug-trafficking activities, including those conducted through the internet and social media," said Ho Ho-ting, a senior inspector from the narcotics bureau. "Drug dealers who try to hide behind computer screens while getting others – including teenagers – to sell drugs for them are fooling themselves if they think they won't get caught and face consequences."
