Police record year-on-year increase in drug trafficking and abuse

Macau police have reported an increase in drug trafficking and drug abuse cases last year compared with the previous year, with authorities expressing high concern over new psychoactive substances and vowing to continue strengthening the comprehensive regulation of etomidate and similar substances this year.

The Judiciary Police (PJ) reported 61 drug trafficking cases and 29 drug abuse cases during the previous year, representing year-on-year increases in both categories, while also highlighting enforcement successes in dismantling several significant cross-border drug operations. Among these was a case detected earlier this month, which has been described as the largest cannabis smuggling case in Macau’s history.

Authorities seized 35 kilograms of cannabis flower, with an estimated black market value of approximately MOP35 million.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the anti-drug campaign yesterday, PJ director Sit Chong Meng said authorities have observed that drug traffickers are using packaged food as a disguise or sending drugs to Macau via “drug parcels” for subsequent transshipment to other locations.

Sit acknowledged that drug traffickers are employing concealed channels to distribute narcotics, but he also voiced confidence in the PJ’s enforcement capabilities, stating: “The Judiciary Police have successfully cracked multiple cross-border drug cases in recent years, demonstrating that we possess both the capacity and the resolve to combat all forms of drug trafficking.”

Recent PJ operations at Macau International Airport have resulted in multiple drug trafficking busts, with some cases solved through the analysis of passenger data and others through collaboration with overseas law enforcement agencies, Sit said.

Emphasizing the increasingly sophisticated methods employed by drug traffickers, Sit issued a particular caution to secondary school graduates intending to pursue studies overseas, urging them to refrain from experimenting with cannabis or other narcotics.

He stressed that while cannabis may be permitted in some countries and regions, it is strictly prohibited in Macau and mainland China, and that the substance poses serious health risks.

The PJ further indicated that, having brought 24 substances including etomidate under regulatory control last year, they would continue to advance related efforts this year, with a particular focus on strengthening the comprehensive regulation of etomidate and similar substances. This is intended to effectively counter the growing trend of drug concealment and ensure that legal loopholes are addressed in a timely manner.