Six Arrested in Instagram Cannabis Sales Bust
HK01 · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong police said they had dismantled an allegedly well-organised drug trafficking group that used social media to market cannabis products and direct buyers to Telegram channels and WhatsApp ordering links. The operation led to the arrest of six local men, aged between 22 and 52, and the seizure of about 7.7 kilograms of suspected cannabis flower and related products with an estimated street value of about HK$1.9 million. Raids were carried out at an operations base in a commercial building on Texaco Road in Tsuen Wan, a storage site in an industrial building in Tsuen Wan, and another storage site in Ngau Keng Tsuen, Yuen Long.
Key Points
- Senior Inspector Chu Chun-yip of the Narcotics Bureau said the investigation began in July, while police described the anti-drug operation as code-named “Lim Kwong”.
- Officers said an Instagram account repeatedly posted material glorifying cannabis use and provided links to a Telegram channel and WhatsApp for orders.
- After undercover work, intelligence analysis and surveillance, police identified the group’s alleged kingpin, customer service staff, warehouse managers and delivery worker.
- On August 24, officers arrested one alleged ringleader and two customer service staff at the Tsuen Wan base, where social media used for drug sales was being managed.
- Police later arrested a 25-year-old man at a Tsuen Wan storage site, a suspected courier in Sham Shui Po, and a 42-year-old man at the Yuen Long village warehouse on August 25.
Why It Matters
The case shows how alleged traffickers are combining mainstream social platforms with encrypted messaging and delivery logistics to make drug sales appear more routine and accessible. Police said they would keep a zero-tolerance approach toward online drug trafficking, citing risks of narcotics reaching neighbourhoods and school communities and harming young people’s health