A 13-year-old boy was among more than 400 people arrested in a citywide anti-drug operation over the summer, with Hong Kong police saying he was suspected of trafficking four capsules believed to contain etomidate, previously known as space oil.
Police said on Sunday that officers smashed 303 drug cases during the seven-week operation, code-named “Tailbacker”, with 328 male and 90 female suspects arrested. The arrestees, aged between 13 and 73, included 11 boys and six girls.
The police force also seized 338kg of various suspected drugs, with a total market value of about HK$170 million.
The haul included 115kg of suspected cocaine, 110kg of suspected cannabis, 4.9 litres of suspected liquid etomidate, and more than 2,700 etomidate-containing cigarette cartridges.
Undisclosed amounts of heroin, ketamine and “Ice” were also seized.
The force said it was “highly concerned” about young people getting involved in cases, as dealers were exploiting them for drug-trafficking activities.
“Investigations revealed that some dealers lured young people into trafficking and selling drugs with meagre rewards, but attempted to shift legal liability onto them,” the force said.
