Hong Kong police confiscate 900kg of cannabis and 1kg of Ice worth HK$194 million in one of city’s biggest drug busts
- Haul worth more than HK$194 million included 904kg of suspected cannabis buds and 1kg of Ice
- Cannabis suspected to have been imported from North America, according to police
Hong Kong police have seized more than HK$194 million (US$25 million) of cannabis and Ice in one of the biggest drug busts in the city’s history.
The force said it had confiscated more than 900kg (1,985lbs) of cannabis buds, one of the biggest hauls of the drug ever made, 1kg of Ice – crystal meth – and arrested two men.
The drugs were found in three industrial buildings on Friday and the weight of cannabis buds exceeded the amount impounded by all law enforcement departments between January and July, the force said.
Two jobless men, aged 28 and 41, were arrested, one in Tuen Mun and one in San Po Kong, in connection with the separate seizures. It is believed they managed three storage facilities in the industrial buildings targeted.
Police have not uncovered a link between the men or determined whether the storage facilities, believed to have begun operations in July, were managed by the same triad organisation.
The drugs would have been sold at entertainment venues such as pubs, clubs and party rooms, the force said.
The 41-year-old, surnamed Chan, was intercepted by officers as he left a 300 sq ft unit at an industrial building on Kin Tai Street in Tuen Mun on Friday afternoon.
About 3.5kg of suspected cannabis buds in seven packages was found in a shopping bag he was carrying.
The man also managed another 800 sq ft storage facility in the nearby Tsing Yeung Circuit. A total of 960 bags containing 480kg of cannabis buds and three packages of Ice were found inside the two premises.
Police also arrested a 28-year-old man surnamed Kwok outside a 400 sq ft unit at an industrial building on Pat Tat Street in San Po Kong.
He was carrying a recycling bag containing 566 grams of cannabis buds. Another 704 packages containing a total of 420.4kg of cannabis buds were seized from the unit.
The two men are expected to appear in court on Monday charged in connection with the raids. Police have not ruled out more arrests.
Hong Kong customs confiscates HK$30 million worth of cannabis, arrests suspect
Superintendent Lau Kai-pang, of the narcotics bureau, said a division of labour and CCTV cameras installed around the storage facilities had created obstacles for the police operations.
The cannabis buds were labelled as construction materials and were suspected to have been imported from North America, he added.
Criminals were increasingly smuggling large amounts of drugs through shipments during the Covid-19 pandemic, Lau noted.
“These crime groups often use a clear division of labour in order to evade detection,” he said. “So far, we have yet to determine whether there were other people involved in any other role in the storage facilities.”
Lau said the investigation continued.
