Police first intercepted a 17-year-old man near So Uk Estate on Tuesday night and found 11 bags of ketamine on him, weighing 2.8kg in total. Officers then raided a unit in the estate and further located another 7.7 kilograms of ketamine.

After further investigation, police arrested two more men aged 22 and 16 in a Kwai Chung hotel on Wednesday, suspected to be the syndicate's mastermind and his assistant. The three were all remanded in custody.

Police noted that one of the teenagers met the syndicate's mastermind through a smartphone online game and was then recruited. The syndicate ran for about a month, and one was responsible for delivering the drugs while another provided the said unit in So Uk Estate.

They were only paid a few thousand dollars but could face up to 14 years of imprisonment for their crime.

On the other hand, officers also spoke of the worsening trend of more and more teenagers being involved in drug-related crimes, with criminals taking advantage of youngsters' wish to make quick cash.

The number of arrestees involved in drug crimes last year doubled from that of the year before, police pointed out, adding that four 13-year-old students were arrested for drug trafficking in the first quarter of this year.

With the summer break approaching, police said they will focus on preventing and combating teenage crimes. They also called on parents to watch their children to ensure they would not be recruited for drug trafficking.

According to the law, the maximum penalty for drug trafficking upon conviction is HK$7 million and life imprisonment.