Drug dealers offering Hong Kong youngsters free narcotics to recruit them as traffickers, police warn

Drug dealers in Hong Kong are reportedly luring teenagers as young as 14 into the world of narcotics by offering them free drugs. Once these teenagers become addicted, they are then recruited as drug traffickers, according to a warning issued by the police. Acting Chief Inspector Chu Siu-lun of the narcotics bureau revealed that a recent two-week operation resulted in 107 arrests and the confiscation of HK$27 million (US$3. 45 million) worth of illegal drugs. The youngest individual apprehended during this operation was a 14-year-old girl, suspected of possessing cannabis oil and an electronic smoking device. Preliminary investigations suggest that the cannabis oil was given to the teenager free of charge.

Chu Siu-lun condemned the drug dealers for their disgraceful practice of recruiting young individuals by providing them with free narcotics, leading them to develop drug addictions. He warned that these young individuals, once unable to afford illegal drugs, become tools for drug dealers to traffic narcotics, facing their own legal consequences. He further cautioned that young people would have to bear the legal consequences once convicted and would have a criminal record for life. In Hong Kong, trafficking in a dangerous drug is punishable by up to life in prison and a HK$5 million fine.

A source within the force disclosed that dealers are known to recruit youngsters into drug trafficking using peer referrals. They also target those who frequent playgrounds at public housing estates and parks at night. These individuals are enticed with free drugs from their friends, a tactic employed to ensure they can be easily manipulated once they develop a drug addiction. Subsequently, they are coerced into participating in drug-trafficking activities and become scapegoats for drug dealers. Some young people are paid as low as hundreds of dollars for drug deliveries.