At a press conference on October 9, Hong Kong Customs announced a significant drug trafficking bust that occurred in September, resulting in the seizure of approximately 500 kilograms of suspected marijuana valued at HKD 130 million and the arrest of three individuals.
Commander Wang Jixiang from the Port and Maritime Cargo Information Analysis Division of Hong Kong Customs revealed that the operation was initiated through risk assessment and intelligence analysis. Customs officers had earlier identified a shipping container from Canada that was reportedly carrying over 500 bags of soybeans. However, upon investigation, it became clear that the consignor was an overseas clothing company, which had no connection to the nature of the shipment. Notably, with parts of North America having legalized marijuana, criminals have been known to use food products as a cover to smuggle drugs into Hong Kong. Consequently, customs officials retained the shipment for further examination.
The investigation uncovered that the nylon bags labeled as “soybeans” varied in size, and some appeared to contain other substances. Upon opening these bags, officers found several vacuum-sealed packages of plant material, which, after testing, confirmed a positive reaction for marijuana. Ultimately, customs officials recovered 83 packages of suspected marijuana buds, weighing around 500 kilograms, from the entire shipment.
Commander Zeng Jianbang of the Drug Investigation Division noted that this case marks the second major marijuana-related drug bust for Hong Kong Customs this year, successfully preventing a large volume of drugs from entering the local market and delivering a significant blow to the trafficking group involved.
Zeng further stated that from January to September this year, Hong Kong Customs has successfully seized approximately 2,600 kilograms of marijuana, valued at HKD 540 million, which is over an 80% increase compared to the same period last year and surpasses the total amount seized throughout the previous year.
