A green minibus driver has been arrested in East Kowloon on suspicion of driving under the influence of methamphetamine, following an intelligence-led police ambush targeting illicit drug consumption among public transport operators.
The operation was conducted on Tuesday morning by the Kowloon East regional traffic unit, which intercepted the targeted public light bus while it was carrying seven passengers between Yau Tong and the Anderson Road development area.
Police intercept vehicle carrying seven passengers during sting operation
Acting on intelligence, officers identified a suspect operating along the designated minibus route and initiated a surveillance operation.
The vehicle was pulled over during the morning commute, and officers promptly escorted all seven passengers off the minibus before conducting a rapid oral fluid screening on the driver. Preliminary findings indicated that the man had consumed suspected methamphetamine, commonly known as ice, before taking the wheel. Police sniffer dogs were deployed to search the interior of the minibus, though no illicit substances were discovered on board.
The 44-year-old driver had previously served another route in the Sau Mau Ping district and had only been assigned to the Yau Tong–Anderson Road service for roughly two weeks. He reported for duty at approximately 7am on the day of his arrest, and investigators suspect he used narcotics prior to his shift.
Police have refused bail to the suspect. He faces a holding charge of driving a motor vehicle with any concentration of a specified illicit drug present in his body, with the case scheduled for mention at Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts on Thursday.
The police spokesman reiterated that police place the highest priority on tackling drug-driving within the public service transport sector, noting that a similar blitz in June had netted three minibus and taxi drivers. Among those previously detained, two were convicted and handed prison sentences of two and four months, alongside driving bans spanning two and five years respectively, while the third remains on bail pending trial.
Addressing the broader risks, the police cautioned that narcotics severely impair a motorist's cognitive judgment and reaction times, placing commuters and other road users in extreme danger. He stressed that operating a passenger vehicle under the influence constitutes a flagrant breach of professional conduct that could easily trigger catastrophic traffic accidents, adding that law enforcement will maintain stringent checks to safeguard public safety.
