Three people have been arrested in the largest seaborne case of cannabis bud trafficking on record, Customs said on Saturday .

The operation saw customs officers seize about 535 kilograms of suspected cannabis buds worth an estimated HK$125 million, after acting on a tip-off that led them to a shipping container holding 1,340 cooler boxes on September 2.

Divisional commander Chan Mong-tik of the ports and maritime command said officers found the suspected drug vacuum-sealed in 364 of the boxes, and some of them even came with a suspected tracker.

“In this case, drug traffickers meticulously planned and prepared in advance to wrap the massive amount of cannabis buds in multiple layers of plastic bags and vacuum-sealed them, in a bid to mask the strong and distinctive smell of cannabis buds," he said.

Customs believe that the syndicate had entrusted a local shipping firm to carry out the declaration so as to cover up the identities of the senders and recipients.

The syndicate also waited weeks before they picked up the shipment on Thursday, according to divisional commander Kwok Tsun-ah of the drug investigation bureau.

Two men transported dozens of the boxes from the warehouse to Mong Kok, he said, where the third man helped to unload and take them to a tenement building nearby.

“Following preliminary investigation, we believe that the recipients planned to move the cooling boxes to a unit at the tenement building, and gradually distribute the hidden cannabis buds,” Kwok said.

Given the large amount of drug seized, officers believe the unit only acted as a temporary storage and transit point for the drug.

Two of the suspects were granted bail pending investigation, while the third will be charged with attempting to traffic in a dangerous drug and is set to appear in Kowloon City Magistrates' Court on Monday.

Customs added that the amount of cannabis drugs seized has been on the rise since 2024 – from about 2,800kg at the time to more than 3,500kg so far this year.

It urged the logistics sector to be wary to the risk of drug traffickers using their services to carry out illegal activities and to report any suspicious activity to the authorities.




Edited by Azam Khan