Hong Kong  - More than 1,600 people were arrested and 118 million Hong Kong dollars (15 million dollars) worth of illicit goods seized in an operation involving police from Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong, authorities said Friday.

Codenamed "Thunderbolt 08," the 46-day operation was meant as a crackdown on crime before the 2008 Olympic Games which open in Beijing on August 8.

Yu Mun-sang, chief superintendent of Hong Kong's Organised Crime and Triad Bureau, said the operation would raise public awareness about crime prevention before the Beijing games and the Olympic equestrian events in Hong Kong.

Police raided about 3,700 locations including discos, amusement arcades, massage parlours and homes in the operation which lasted between early June and July 16.

Yu said police shut down 32 vice establishments and 20 illegal gambling dens, and arrested 1,040 men and 624 women for various offences including racketeering, vice and drug-related crimes.

Those arrested included 485 from mainland China and 97 people who were illegal immigrants from China.

Police said they seized more than 17 kilograms of ketamine, 13.7 kilograms of cocaine and various types of psychotropic drugs with a street value of more than 14.6 million Hong Kong dollars.

About 300,000 pornographic and pirated compact discs worth more than 12 million Hong Kong dollars were seized. Police also seized illegal betting slips for soccer and horseracing totalling around 76 million worth Hong Kong dollars. (dpa)