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Customs inspects 25,000 CBD products containing prohibited ingredients

2022-01-22T08:44:50.356Z


From mid-January this year, Hong Kong Customs launched a special operation code-named "Chengfeng" to target cannabidiol (CBD) products on the market that contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which can cause serious bodily harm. customs officers


Hong Kong Customs launched a special operation code-named "Chengfeng" in mid-January this year, targeting cannabidiol (CBD) products on the market that contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which can cause serious bodily harm.

Customs officers took enforcement action on Wednesday (19th) and Thursday (20th), raiding two storage warehouses and seven retail stores selling CBD products, including three branches of a major retail chain.

Customs seized about 25,000 CBD products suspected of containing THC, including CBD oil, skin care products and pet treats, with a market value of about 14.6 million yuan. Five men and four women were arrested, including male purchasing managers and store managers of large chain retail stores.


It is understood that the chain retail store involved in the case is Mannings. A spokesman for Mannings stated that three front-line colleagues of the store and a colleague of the office building (representative of the purchasing department) were arranged to leave their jobs to assist relevant departments in their investigation.


Liu Liangzhi, commander of the Airport Investigation Team of the Narcotics Investigation Division, said that the Cargo Division of the Airport Division of the Customs selected a batch of goods arriving from the United States at Hong Kong International Airport on January 11 this year for inspection, and seized a small amount of the product reported as CBD oral oil for testing. .

After testing, the results showed that the shipment contained THC, and the case was handed over to the airport investigation team of the Drug Investigation Division to take over the investigation.

According to the air waybill, there are 2,550 sticks of oral CBD oil in this shipment, all of which belong to the same license, and the consignee is a trading company.

Customs then went to the trading company's office in Changshawan Industrial Building on January 19, and seized 427 oral CBD oil, 15 bath bubbles, and 14 personal care products, all of the same brand.

The 35-year-old head of the company was arrested and has been released on bail pending further investigation.

The Special Investigation Commander of the Organised Crime Bureau, Wong Ching-fu, said that Customs further investigated the logistics chain of CBD products and found that the importer had supplied CBD products to a large local retail chain for sale, and dispatched staff to North Point, Tai Po and Mobil's branch store tested the product, and the product was confirmed to contain THC after testing.

The Customs subsequently exchanged information with the Department of Health and learned that the Department had also dispatched staff to conduct trial purchases in several retail stores in the market, and some of the products were confirmed to contain THC ingredients.

On January 19, Customs raided the head office of a large chain retail store, 3 branches and a warehouse in Kwai Chung. A male purchasing manager and 3 store managers (aged 38 to 44) were successively arrested and about 7,800 items containing THC were seized , with a market value of about HK$4.6 million.

Most of the products in this batch are oral oils, with prices ranging from several hundred to over a thousand Hong Kong dollars each.

It is understood that the chain retail store involved in the case is "Mannings", and all relevant goods on its company website have been removed from the shelves.

On the same day, Customs arrested a male person in charge and a female shop assistant (aged 21 to 32) in specialized stores in Central and Taikoo, and seized more than 14,000 THC-containing products, including oral oils, gummies and dog treats, etc. , with a total value of about HK$8 million.

Based on the trial purchase records provided by the Department of Health, Customs raided an upstairs shop for adult products in Tsim Sha Tsui and its warehouse in Kwai Chung on January 20, involving three other brands, and seized a total of 200 CBD items that were airlifted to Hong Kong from foreign countries. The product, with a total value of about HK$40,000, is believed to contain THC in some parts.

There is a male person in charge and a female clerk (24-29 years old) in the store.

Huang Zhen Fusui pointed out that some products are marked with THC ingredients on the box, but they are still sold to the public.

Cheng Dexi, supervisor of the Special Investigation Division of the Organised Crime Investigation Division of the Customs, pointed out that the oral oil seized in this operation was packaged to indicate that it did not contain THC. The THC component is below a certain concentration.

The laws of some countries allow the legal use of low-concentration THC products, but Hong Kong adopts a zero-tolerance attitude towards THC. All CBD products containing THC are dangerous drugs regardless of their concentration and are regulated by the Dangerous Drugs Ordinance.

THC can be addictive and damage the body

Zheng Dexi emphasized that there is a package instructing users to drop 5 to 10 drops of the oral oil on the bottom of the tongue each time. If the effect is not effective after 20 minutes, you can increase the amount by yourself, worrying that the public may ingest THC ingredients during use.

THC causes serious physical harm to citizens, including addiction, hallucinations, impaired IQ, depression, and decreased concentration.

He appealed to the public to stop using the products involved and contact the customs if they purchased the products involved.

Importers, retailers and citizens should exercise caution when handling CBD products and understand the relevant legal risks.

The customs will continue to strictly enforce the law to stop products containing THC from entering the market.

Wanning: 4 employees were arranged to leave their jobs to assist in the investigation

A Mannings spokesman said that the company has fully cooperated with the government departments in the investigation of certain products in three branches.

All stores are operating as usual to serve customers.

During the procedure, 3 front-line colleagues in the store and a colleague in the office building (as the representative of the purchasing department) were arranged to leave their jobs to assist relevant departments in their investigation.

The company has immediately contacted colleagues and provided all support. At the same time, it has also actively learned about the incident with relevant departments.

We thank our colleagues for their cooperation and understanding.

British products to Hong Kong contain tetrahydrocannabinol Customs search for fitness supplements store 5 arrested 1 man arrested after poisoned parcel smashed into retail store in Tsim Sha Tsui

01 News

Source: hk1

All news articles on 2022-01-22

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