Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare Drug Control Department has staff stationed in Hong Kong: a smuggling route

Recently NHK News On-line reported the following:

厚労省麻薬取締部が密輸経由地 香港に職員常駐 各国と連携強化

2020年11月15日 23時17分

違法薬物の密輸が急増する中、情報収集を強化するため厚生労働省麻薬取締部が職員の海外赴任をスタートさせ、香港に常駐させていることがわかりました。香港に職員を派遣している各国の捜査機関との連携を深めるのが主なねらいです。

日本国内に流通している覚醒剤などの違法薬物はほとんどが海外から密輸されたもので、去年は密輸に関わったとして過去最も多い600人近くが検挙されています。

密輸の対策が重要な課題となる中、厚生労働省麻薬取締部が職員の海外赴任をスタートさせ、領事として去年から香港に常駐させていることが厚生労働省などへの取材でわかりました。

香港は世界各地に密輸される違法薬物の経由地になっているとされ、アメリカやオーストラリアなど10か国以上の捜査機関が職員を常駐させています。

こうした各国の捜査機関や香港の当局と連携を深め、情報交換などを通じて、日本への密輸に関わる最新の情報を得ていくことが主なねらいだということです。

日本では、ここ数年、大型の密輸事件が相次いで摘発されているにもかかわらず、覚醒剤の末端の密売価格が大きく変わっていないことから、摘発を逃れた大量の覚醒剤が密輸され続けているおそれがあります。

厚生労働省麻薬取締部は海外での情報収集を強化し、密輸の対策を進めることにしています。

Translation

Amid a surge in illegal drug smuggling, it was noted that the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's Drug Control Department had started assigning staff to overseas to strengthen information gathering and had them stationed in Hong Kong. The main purpose of dispatching staff to Hong Kong was to deepen cooperation with investigative agencies in various countries.

Most of the illegal drugs such as stimulants distributed in Japan were smuggled from overseas, and last year nearly 600 people were arrested, being the highest number ever involved in smuggling.

While measures against smuggling had become an important issue, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's Drug Control Department had started to assign employees overseas and stationed them in Hong Kong as consuls since last year, according to an interview with the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

Hong Kong was said to be a transit point for illegal drugs smuggled around the world, and investigative agencies in more than 10 countries, including the United States and Australia, had staff stationed there.

It was said that the main goal was to deepen cooperation with the investigative agencies in individual country and also the authorities in Hong Kong, and to obtain the latest information on smuggling into Japan through information exchange.

In Japan, despite the fact that large-scale smuggling cases had been exposed one after another in recent years, the end smuggling price of stimulant did not change significantly, so a large number of stimulants could have escaped the detection, and there were worries that the smuggling would continue.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's Drug Control Department would strengthen information gathering overseas and promote measures against smuggling.

              So, Hong Kong is a transit point for illegal drugs smuggled around the world, and investigative agencies of more than 10 countries, including the United States and Australia, have staff stationed there. I am wondering why Hong Kong can become a transit point.