Three suspects arrested over HK$125m cannabis haul

Three individuals have been apprehended in what is believed to be the largest seaborne cannabis trafficking operation ever recorded, according to Hong Kong Customs. The raid, conducted following a tip-off, resulted in the seizure of approximately 535 kilograms of suspected cannabis buds, valued at around HK$125 million, from a shipping container on September 2.

The containers, containing 1,340 cooler boxes, were found to have the suspected drug vacuum-sealed within 364 of them, some even allegedly equipped with a suspected tracking device. Divisional Commander Chan Mong-tik of the Ports and Maritime Command noted that the traffickers had meticulously planned and prepped the shipment to conceal the potent smell of the cannabis buds by wrapping them in multiple layers of plastic bags and vacuum-sealing them.

Customs suspects the syndicate entrusted a local shipping firm to handle the declaration process, aiming to obscure the identities of the senders and recipients. The syndicate also waited for several weeks before picking up the shipment on Thursday. Two men are said to have transported dozens of the boxes from a warehouse to Mong Kok, where a third man helped unload the containers and take them to a nearby tenement building.

Preliminary investigation suggests that the recipients intended to distribute the hidden cannabis buds over time. Customs believes the tenement building served as a temporary storage and transit point for the drugs. Two suspects have been granted bail pending further investigation, while the third is charged with attempting to traffic in a dangerous drug and is scheduled to appear in Kowloon City Magistrates' Court on Monday.

Customs has also noted a rise in seized drug quantities since 2024, from around 2,800 kilograms to over 3,500 kilograms so far this year, urging the logistics sector to remain vigilant against drug traffickers exploiting their services for illegal activities.