Hong Kong police have deployed drones for the first time to combat illegal street gambling operations, arresting eight suspects over the past two weeks.

The eight suspects – seven men and a woman, aged between 53 and 76 – were arrested in Chung On Estate, police said on Sunday. Officers seized HK$420 (US$54) in cash and gambling equipment.

The arrests followed a joint operation, codenamed JusticePeak, conducted between April 5 and 18 by officers from the Sha Tin and Ma On Shan police divisions to crack down on street-level illegal gambling.

“For the first time, drones were deployed to patrol and identify various street gambling black spots in the district,” the force said in a statement on Sunday.

The eight people were each charged with one count of “gambling in any place not being a gambling establishment or in a street”, according to police.

Police said they would continue to strengthen patrols and crack down on illegal gambling activities on the streets.