The number of cases involving illegal firearms and ammunition fell by 65 per cent in 2021 from a year ago after the national security law was imposed in Hong Kong, according to the Customs and Excise Department.

In an annual review of last year, the department said on Sunday that 13 fewer cases, or a decline of 65 per cent, of illegal firearms, component parts and ammunition were detected in 2021 after the law was imposed by Beijing in June 2020.

The legislation bans acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign forces.

The number of cases involving strategic commodities also decreased 14 per cent from 149 in 2020 to 128 in last year

The department attributed the decline to its efforts in safeguarding the city’s national security.

“With record figures counted in major enforcement areas and the illegal inflow of firearms, ammunition and strategic commodities well intercepted, the review shows remarkable enforcement efficiency and practical efforts dedicated to the safeguarding of national security,” it said.

The department said it had set up its first Firearm Detector Dog Team to ramp up its battle against the smuggling of firearms and ammunition into Hong Kong for the sake of preventing terrorist activities and safeguarding national security.

Last year, the department handled a total of 8,323 cases, including illegal goods and money laundering, with 5,143 people arrested. That is an increase of 3 per cent and 26 per cent, respectively, compared to 2020.

Customs authorities seized illegal goods worth HK$6.27 billion (US$805.2 million), up 73 per cent from 2020, of which some 52 per cent were related to illicit cigarettes, followed by cases involving dangerous drugs and intellectual property rights protection.

Among the illegal goods, about 3,800kg of dangerous drugs were seized, up 9 per cent from 2020, with the value soaring 18 per cent to HK$2.47 billion, 4.5 times higher than in 2018.

A total of 906 drug cases were reported with 217 people arrested, down 18 per cent and up 9 per cent respectively year on year. The biggest narcotics haul was about 260kg of cocaine with a market value of HK$300 million.

In terms of illegal imports and exports, the review reported about 233 cases related to unmanifested cargo last year, up 33 per cent from 2020, with a total of 264 arrests. Around 94 per cent of smuggling cases were between mainland China and Hong Kong.

The seizure value of smuggled goods rose nearly two-fold year on year to HK$2.3 billion.

Last year also saw the highest-valued haul seized in a single smuggling case since records began, with customs confiscating about HK$1.2 billion worth of goods.

In terms of commodity value, food was the most popular item to be seized, accounting for HK$563 million, or 25.3 per cent, of the total figure.