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Marijuana plants found in the Tuen Mun house. Screenshot via Now TV

Hong Kong police raids marijuana farms in two remote New Territories village houses

Police seize 340 plants from two remote New Territories locations and arrest suspects

Police closed down two remote marijuana farms in the New Territories this week in raids that saw a pair of suspected triad members arrested.

Officers also seized 340 cannabis plants worth HK$530,000 along with plant-growing and packaging equipment from the farms - two village houses in Pat Heung and Tuen Mun.

"We believe the two indoor farms had been in operation for about two months," a police source said. "The plants are not fully grown and not ready for harvest yet."

He said initial investigations showed the drug production facilities were controlled by a triad society. "We are investigating whether the finished products are for local consumption."

At about 4pm on Thursday, the New Territories North regional crime unit swooped on a two-storey house in Lo Uk Tsuen off Kam Tin Road.

The plants are not fully grown and not ready for harvesting
A police source

They arrested two men aged 34 and 56 inside the house and confiscated 276 cannabis plants.

The older man was then taken to his rented house in Nam Long village off Lung Kwu Tan Road at about 8pm where officers discovered another 64 plants. Both farms were located in far-flung, sparsely populated areas.

"To prevent outsiders from looking into the two houses, all the windows were closed and covered with paper or curtains," the source said.

Also seized was a set of solar lights used to speed up plant growth, cannabis seeds, fertiliser and an electronic scale.

The two suspects were being held for questioning last night and had not been charged.

Officers were investigating how they brought the cannabis seeds into Hong Kong.

Cannabis seizures rose 48 per cent to 83kg in the first six months of this year, from 56kg during the same period last year, police figures showed.

Police said the raids were part of a three-month, cross-border operation against organised crime. The annual operation, codenamed Thunderbolt 15, will end in September and is aimed at combating triad activities.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Marijuana farms found in village houses
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