Hong Kong customs confiscates cannabis buds worth HK$115 million in largest in-town seizure of drug

Hong Kong customs officers have made their largest in-town seizure of cannabis buds, confiscating a haul worth HK$115 million (US$14.8 million) during a raid on a warehouse in the New Territories. Customs officials said on Monday that 570kg (1,257lbs) of cannabis buds were found hidden in 145 boxes, mixed with another 387 boxes of electronic products in a warehouse in Fanling two weeks ago. The discovery pushed the total amount of cannabis seized in the first two months of this year to about 790kg, according to the Customs and Excise Department. Assistant Superintendent Dennis Lau Wai-lung of customs’ drug investigation bureau said follow-up investigations led officers to arrest the director of a logistics company in connection with the case. The 57-year-old suspect apprehended in his home in the New Territories was granted bail pending further investigation, Lau said. Customs began investigating after receiving intelligence last month. Officers from the bureau raided the warehouse and discovered the drugs on February 26. “The narcotic was found hidden in 145 boxes that were mixed with 387 other boxes carrying electronic products such as air purifiers,” Lau said, adding that it was an apparent move to avoid detection. He said the estimated street value of the seized drugs was about HK$115 million, and it was the largest in-town seizure of cannabis buds made by customs yet. Cocaine beats cannabis as top drug among young Hong Kong substance abusers He said the investigation into the origin of the haul, the smuggling route and the consignee was still under way and further arrests were possible. “We believe the drug trafficking syndicate planned to stockpile such a large batch of an illegal drug before the Easter holiday and circulate the narcotics in the market during the long holiday,” said Senior Superintendent Wong Ho-yin, who heads the bureau. “We do not rule out the possibility that part of the drug was destined for overseas markets.” Wong said customs officers had 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. He added the 570kg haul was part of 790kg of marijuana seized over the past two months. Customs officers seized 179.5kg of cannabis at the 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. They seized HK$15.1 million worth of cannabis in two seaborne shipments from Thailand as part of efforts to combat maritime smuggling. The drug was concealed in wooden furniture and dog food packets. Lau said drug traffickers mixed illegal drugs with general merchandise and used different concealment methods in an attempt to avoid detection, adding that customs would spare no effort to fight against drug trafficking activities. Wong said customs would continue to have zero tolerance against all types of illegal drugs, as well as cooperate and exchange intelligence with mainland China and overseas law enforcement agencies to combat international drug trafficking. Hong Kong police arrest 2, including teenager, on drug trafficking charges In Hong Kong, trafficking in a dangerous drug is punishable by up to life in prison and a HK$5 million fine. In October 2022, customs officers intercepted a HK$1.1 billion haul of liquid meth disguised as cartons of coconut water, the biggest seizure of drugs by value in the city and the second largest by weight. In 1996, they seized 7.2 tonnes of cannabis. Provisional figures showed that seizures of the five major illegal drugs – cocaine, cannabis, methamphetamine, heroin and ketamine – rose by 68 per cent to 13.29 tonnes last year from 7.9 tonnes in 2022. 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.

Hong Kong customs confiscates cannabis buds worth HK$115 million in largest in-town seizure of drug

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Customs officials say 570kg of cannabis buds found hidden in 145 boxes Follow-up investigations led officers to arrest 57-year-old director of logistics company

Customs officials say 570kg of cannabis buds found hidden in 145 boxes

Follow-up investigations led officers to arrest 57-year-old director of logistics company