HONG KONG: In its largest cannabis seizure since 1990, officers in Hong Kong raided two factory units and arrested 10 people this week. More than 2,000 plants and 24 kilograms of dried cannabis were confiscated with an estimated street value of $38 million USD. The two suspected ringleaders are a father and son team, yet their wives were also arrested. The leaders of the organization recruited six workers from Vietnam to cultivate the plants. The six men had been working illegally in Hong Kong for six months and were strictly forbidden from leaving the premises.
Windows of the units were covered with wooden planks and aluminum foil as to not draw suspicion from outsiders. The grow units were between 2,000 to 3,000 ft.², housing all operations and workers’ living quarters. Each worker was paid approximately $655 USD per month for the hard labour. Police investigators said that the money was sent directly to their families in Vietnam. Police believe the marijuana was grown for domestic use but they are still investigating the syndicate’s potential distribution methods and how they procured seeds. According to news sources in China, one kilogram of cannabis in Hong Kong has a current street value of approximately US$38,550. Police stated this was the largest case of cannabis cultivation seizure since police started taking drug seizure records in 1990. Hong Kong is light years away from any sort of cannabis reform, so marijuana enthusiasts enjoy the plant in hiding.
