Customs makes biggest cannabis bust to date, raiding hi-tech farm in Hong Kong that could produce HK$270 million worth of drugs
- Officers discover elaborate growing operation spread out across three floors of a house in Yuen Long that could produce two tonnes of the drug each year
- Inside they find specialised growing lamps, an exhaust system and independent energy source, along with 465kg of cannabis worth HK$70 million
Customs officers have made their biggest cannabis farm bust to date, raiding a house in northern Hong Kong that could churn out HK$270 million (US$34.72 million) worth of the drug every year.
The entire three-storey property in Yuen Long had been converted into a sophisticated growing operation that used specialised lamps, a ventilation system and carbon dioxide generators to produce as much as two tonnes of marijuana annually, authorities said on Friday.
Customs seized 465kg (1,025 pounds) of cannabis worth an estimated HK$70 million and arrested a 47-year-old man living at the residence. A syndicate is suspected to be behind the farm and additional arrests are possible.
“We have blocked the drugs from entering the local market,” said Chan Siu-kau, acting superintendent of customs’ drug investigation group. “Given the scale of the growing den, we believe the farm could produce two tonnes of cannabis worth HK$270 million a year.”
Acting on intelligence and armed with a court warrant, officers descended on the stand-alone house obscured by gardens on Tai Shui Ha Road West on Thursday night.