Hong Kong customs arrests 2 men arriving from Canada on suspicion of smuggling HK$18 million in cannabis buds into city
- Two suspects, aged 48 and 67, allegedly lured into bringing 87kg of cannabis buds into city in largest case detected by customs at airport
- They landed in Hong Kong on Sunday after they flew from Vancouver and transited through Tokyo
Hong Kong customs officers have arrested two men arriving from Canada on suspicion of smuggling cannabis buds worth HK$18 million (US$2.3 million) into the city, marking the largest passenger marijuana trafficking case detected at the airport in a decade.
Senior Inspector Ivan Chow Wing-cheong of customs’ drug investigation bureau on Tuesday said the two suspects, aged 48 and 67, had been allegedly lured into bringing four suitcases filled with the drug into the city in exchange for free travel.
He said the pair landed in Hong Kong on Sunday after they flew from Vancouver, Canada and made a transit through Tokyo, Japan.
During customs clearance, an X-ray examination revealed suspicious images in the four suitcases, with further investigation uncovering 87kg (192lbs) of cannabis buds in 155 vacuum bags, Chow added.
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According to the Customs and Excise Department, samples tested positive for cannabis.
“The narcotics were found to have been stuffed into four suitcases without any concealment,” a source familiar with the case said.
The estimated street value of the seized drugs were worth about HK$18 million, according to the department.
“Because Japan is a popular tourist destination for Hong Kong people, drug traffickers may believe passengers arriving from the country will attract less scrutiny,” the insider said.
“It is possible why the two men chose to have a stopover in Japan during their journey.”
Senior Inspector Chow said it was the largest passenger cannabis trafficking case at the airport in a decade.
The two Canadian passport holders were arrested on suspicion of trafficking in a dangerous drug.
Customs officers seized 179.5kg of cannabis at Hong Kong International Airport in January and February, a 180 per cent increase from the 64.2kg uncovered in the same period last year. Most of the seized drugs were from North America or Thailand.
The cannabis discovered at the airport was part of 790kg of marijuana, worth more than HK$150 million, seized over the past two months.
Customs officers stepped up enforcement at various border control points and in the city in January and February after the quantity of cannabis they discovered increased from 774kg in 2021 to 2,423kg in 2023.
Hong Kong customs seizes record HK$115 million of cannabis buds
During the two-month operation, customs officers made their largest in-town seizure of cannabis buds, confiscating a haul worth HK$115 million during a raid on a warehouse in the New Territories on February 26. A 57-year-old man was arrested on Monday in connection with this case.
Chow said customs would continue to monitor drug trafficking activities and enhance cooperation with mainland China and overseas law enforcement agencies to combat international drug trafficking.
In Hong Kong, trafficking in a dangerous drug is punishable by up to life in prison and a HK$5 million fine.
The amount of cannabis seized by police and customs last year reached 3.34 tonnes, a 25 per cent jump from the 2.67 tonnes uncovered in 2022.
