Hong Kong police intercept HK$26.7 million haul of cannabis concealed in bags of dog food
- Force also arrests 49-year-old driver of the van in which the hidden drugs were found
- The number of cannabis trafficking cases reported between January and April of 2021 has more than doubled year on year
The force’s narcotics bureau on Wednesday said officers acting on intelligence intercepted a van on Monday at the intersection of Ma Tin and Ma Tong roads.
Officers found the vehicle to be loaded with 63 bags of dog food, in which 250 pouches of cannabis weighing a total of 126kg were hidden.
The 49-year-old driver was arrested, and is slated to appear in court on Thursday to answer a charge of drug trafficking, which is punishable by life imprisonment.
In the first four months of this year, the force confiscated 528kg of cannabis, equivalent to 80 per cent of all of the marijuana seized in 2020. The number of cannabis trafficking cases reported between January and April of 2021 also more than doubled year on year, from 153 to 324.
Officers have arrested 415 people in connection with those cases so far this year.
Overall, police recorded 1,149 drug cases in 2020, and detained 1,824 people on related charges – 80 per cent more than were arrested in 2019.
