Customs makes largest fishing boat drug bust in a decade

In a joint operation on Wednesday, marine police and customs intercepted a suspicious fishing boat near Lamma Island, seizing 459 kilograms of cannabis with a street value exceeding HK$110 million.

This marks the largest fishing boat drug smuggling case in nearly a decade, according to customs.

Three local men have been arrested and charged with trafficking dangerous drugs. They will appear at Eastern Magistrates' Court tomorrow.

A customs spokesman said drug trafficking cases involving fishing boats are relatively rare. It is believed that criminals use fishing boats as a cover in the early hours of the morning, conducting drug trafficking activities in the dark, attempting to evade detection.

He said there has been a rising trend in the quantity of cannabis seized in recent years, increasing from 774 kilograms in 2021 to 2,875 kilograms last year, more than a 2.7-fold increase.

Customs will continue to implement timely measures to combat drug smuggling, the spokesman added.

Apart from the fishing boat case, marine police and customs have also cracked down on five other cases of smuggling illicit cigarettes at sea, with the haul seized having a black market value of over HK$76 million and a duty potential of over HK$55 million.
 

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