Hong Kong customs arrests 10 over HK$56 million cannabis haul bound for Europe, Africa

Hong Kong's customs authorities have made a significant arrest and seizure in their ongoing campaign against a drug-smuggling syndicate. Over a month-long operation dubbed Fire Mesh, ten individuals were apprehended and about 240kg of high-quality cannabis buds valued at roughly HK$56 million were seized. The operation targeted passengers with luggage from Southeast Asia, scanning for suspicious amounts of tightly packed parcels.

Senior Inspector Chan Kai-hin noted that the luggage contained no personal items and bore signs of being new, unlike the baggage of typical tourists. Upon closer inspection, investigators discovered the cannabis. In an investigation launched based on passenger information, ten people were arrested, comprising nine men and one woman aged between 18 and 57, holding passports from Britain, France, the US, and Thailand.

The syndicate allegedly recruited individuals from various nationalities for financial gain, arranging for them to smuggle cannabis from Southeast Asia to Europe and Africa through Hong Kong. One suspect tried to avoid detection by changing his itinerary at the last minute. The operation, Chow Kai-kwong, a senior customs investigator, said, disrupted the syndicate's route, which used Hong Kong as a gateway to smuggle drugs to Europe and Africa.

Drug trafficking is a serious crime, carrying penalties of life imprisonment and a HK$5 million fine upon conviction. In May, a separate operation saw the arrest of three men and seizure of a 511.5kg cannabis haul valued at about HK$100 million, the third-largest seizure in the city since 2020.