A multi-million dollar cocaine smuggling attempt was thwarted last month when Chinese customs officials discovered the cocaine had been converted into liquid form and disguised as white wine. 

According to the South China Morning Post, two men local to Hong Kong were arrested in connection with a shipping container sent from Brazil to Hong Kong which was carrying 706 bottles of red wine, white wine and juice. The container was flagged for inspection at the Kwai Chung Customhouse Cargo Examination Compound due to Brazil’s status as a high-risk trafficking area based on the frequency of past narcotics seizures. 

Assistant Superintendent Jacky Tsang Kin-bon of the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department told the South China Morning Post that the monetary value of the amount of cocaine seized was in the hundreds of millions of dollars range. 

“A total of 444 kilograms of suspected liquid cocaine was discovered in the 37 boxes,” Tsang Kin-bon said. “The estimated street value of the haul is about HK $490 million.”

Tsang Kin-bon indicated that what tipped authorities off to the suspicious contents of the container was that several of the boxes appeared to have been resealed, specifically boxes of white wine, packed in 37 boxes which were supposed to be packaged with four three-liter bags of white wine a piece. These bags tested positive for cocaine. 

The container had been sent by plain clothes officers with Hong Kong customs to Yuen Long where they waited for someone to come collect it. When no one did, it was sent to a yard in Kwai Chung where it was placed under 24-hour surveillance. Eventually, a 50-year-old man turned up to collect the container. He was later arrested along with his 38-year-old accomplice, neither of which was named by the South China Morning Post. 

Superintendent Lui Chi-tak of customs’ ports and maritime command told the South China Morning Post that “drug traffickers took every effort and deployed sophisticated methods to conceal the narcotic in an attempt to evade customs detection.” Senior Superintendent Wong added that this was the largest liquid cocaine bust by weight in the 20 years they’ve been keeping records of such things. 

Customs officials told the Post that the younger suspect was arrested on Saturday and the older a day later. The younger suspect was allegedly responsible for arranging the cargo’s transport from Brazil To Hong Kong and the older suspect was allegedly responsible for collecting and storing the drugs once on Chinese soil. 

As of Monday when the report was published, both suspects were still being held for questioning. Tsang Kin-bon told the post that the increase in product shipments around the holidays is often used as cover for the smuggling of narcotics.

“We believe the drug trafficking syndicate tried to take advantage of the busy logistics services before the Christmas and New Year holidays to smuggle the narcotic into the city and evade detection,” Tsang Kin-bon said, also indicating that their investigation revealed the large shipment was intended to supply the increased demand for cocaine around the holiday season (Chinese New Year is on February 10 and for whatever reason I feel compelled to disclose that 2024 is the year of the dragon).

According to the Post, the investigation into this instance of cocaine trafficking is still ongoing and customs officials have not ruled out further arrests. Trafficking of a dangerous drug in Hong Kong is punishable by a life sentence in prison and a fine of up to $5 million.

“Customs will continue to use its professionalism and determination to prevent illegal drugs from being smuggled into the city, thereby safeguarding the country’s southern gateway,” Senior Superintendent Wong said.

Not for nothing, but cocaine traffickers appear to be getting much more creative with their smuggling techniques. Not only has cocaine been disguised as white wine, but a cursory Google search will show that in recent months it has also been disguised as pasta noodles, charcoal, almond syrup, and bananas and that’s just since last June. Between that, and the constant barrage of headlines concerning kilograms of cocaine washing up on beaches all over the world, it would appear that internationally, narcotics agents are playing a very expensive and futile game of whack-a-mole with cocaine traffickers. 

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In early 2022 Dutch health authorities issued a warning about MDMA-laced champagne circulating throughout parts of Europe that hospitalized several people and killed one. An arrest has been made in connection with the case almost two years later, but authorities said there’s no way to know if additional bottles are still in circulation.

According to Dutch media outlet RTL Nieuws, police arrested a 35-year-old man last week in the German town of Weiden on drug trafficking and manslaughter charges in relation to MDMA-laced champagne bottles, the consumption of which reportedly hospitalized just under a dozen people and led to the death of a 52-year-old German man. MDMA, better known as “Molly” or “Ecstasy” is shorthand for 3,4-Methyl​enedioxy​methamphetamine, a drug which induces feelings of euphoria in the user for several hours. 

According to RTL Nieuws, the Polish man, whose name was not released, was arrested due to a tip from Dutch authorities. He allegedly stored the laced champagne bottles in the Netherlands and was also involved with their distribution, though not much other information about the man was released. A German news report said that the prosecutor’s office accused the man of  “gang-like trafficking in narcotics in large quantities, negligent bodily harm and negligent homicide.” Authorities said more arrests could be forthcoming as well. 

The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) issued a warning about the champagne bottles, specifically 3-liter bottles of Moët and Chandon Ice Impérial, in February of 2022. A press release from the NVWA said the following:

“The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority warns consumers to be very careful with 3-liter champagne bottles from the Moët & Chandon Ice Impérial brand. Recently, a bottle of that size appeared to be filled with the hard drug MDMA (also known as ecstasy) in both Germany and the Netherlands,” said a press release from the NVWA. “Touching and/or drinking the contents of the bottles is life-threatening. This has led to seven very serious cases of illness and one death in Germany. According to the producer, there were four cases of illness in the Netherlands. In both cases, the bottles in question were purchased via a previously unknown website.”

The NVWA clarified that it was somewhat easy to spot which bottles were potentially tainted with MDMA because the liquid did not come out carbonated as champagne does. The liquid did not fizz when poured, it came out a reddish brown color which darkened over time and also gave off a smell of the anise plant, which according to Google has similarities to the smells of licorice, fennel and tarragon. 

“The NVWA calls on people to be alert to 3 liter bottles of Moët & Chandon Ice Impérial with lot code LAJ7QAB6780004 and LAK5SAA6490005. This code can be found on the label on the back of the bottle,” the press release said.” Leave the bottle untouched if the contents differ from what is usual for champagne. Bottles filled with MDMA are indistinguishable on the outside from bottles filled with champagne. However, when pouring there is a clear difference.”

According to the NVWA, there’s no way to be sure how many more bottles, if any, were laced with MDMA and there’s no way to know if these bottles are still available in stores without checking the lot code on the back, as mentioned above. The health authority stressed that anyone who buys that brand of champagne should be on high alert, call emergency services if the liquid is ingested and call the police if anything seems off about a bottle. 

“It is not known how the MDMA ended up in these bottles. The NVWA cannot therefore estimate whether there are more of these bottles containing the hazardous substance in circulation, the press release said. “It cannot be ruled out that there are other bottles of the same brand in circulation that also contain MDMA”

According to the aforementioned German news report, the seven people who were hospitalized were out having a celebratory dinner with friends when they bought the tainted champagne. The report described everyone fainting at the table after the champagne was brought out. The 52-year-old who died had reportedly drank more of the champagne than the others, who had only sipped it. All seven people reportedly made full recoveries and attended a memorial for their deceased friend in February. 

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New research carried out over three years in Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc vineyard by grape grower Kristy Harkness and viticulture researcher Dr. Mark Krasnow has found that hemp is a viable cover crop, at least when it comes to the New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc vineyards. 

The research, as  outlined by New Zealand Wine Grower, found that the hemp did not compete with the vines and beneficially affected soils and wines. During the country’s dry season, the hemp also became established without supplemental irrigation when other crops failed to survive, allowing the plants to sequester carbon longer into the season.

For U.S. regions like California, which have both booming wine and hemp markets, these findings could potentially prove useful for the future of both industries.

Assessing Hemp’s Impact on Wine Vineyards

To assess the effects of hemp as a cover crop and intercrop on the vines and vineyard soil, searchers sowed industrial hemp seeds in the mid row of the vineyard. The hemp plants showed a superior ability to acclimate without additional irrigation, and rather than having a negative effect on the wines, it actually improved the quality compared to grapes not grown alongside hemp.

“Hemp plants grew large roots to at least 30 cm, and were able to grow in compacted tractor wheel tracks in the row, where the root system can alleviate compaction caused by vineyard operations,” researchers said. “Juice/must samples from the 2019 harvest showed a higher diversity of yeast species from the hemp area than the control, and produced perceptibly better wine.”

The “stark difference” in hemp growth between the 2020-21 season and the other two seasons also showed the importance of using quality seed, according to the study, saying it was “absolutely imperative for other crops, and hemp is no exception, as strongly evidenced in this study.”

A Potential Game-Changer for the Future of Wine

Harkness pointed to the hemp’s ability to further benefit the affected soils and wines, calling the finding “very exciting.”

“The differences in native yeast populations brought about by a hemp cover crop is an aspect sparking much interest,” Harkness said. “The suggestion that hemp could improve wine quality is an interesting further study topic, but not a path I’m currently going down. As a grape grower, my focus is on producing the highest quality fruit, and improving soil health in vineyards.”

Krasnow also called the lack of hemp’s competition with grapes a “little surprising, considering how large some of the plants grow.” While the study didn’t directly assess this element, Krasnow said that he sees hemp in the mixture with other cover crops, like clover for nitrogen and buckwheat for beneficial insects, as a huge potential benefit for vineyards. Doing so could not only produce better grapes with fewer inputs and sequester carbon but also alleviate soil compaction in the tractor wheel tracks, which can be a major issue in vineyard soils. 

These findings could pave the way for a vineyard where no grass needs to be sown, leading to no mowing. Instead, a mixed cover crop sward, including hemp, could be sown, which would be simp-rolled as much when vineyard crew walk down rows. This new option would improve grape quality, conserve water, be more friendly to bees, use less diesel and be more cost efficient, Krasnow said. 

“Mowing doesn’t add to wine quality. It may look lovely and more tidy as people drive past, but it’s not that great for the soil,” he added.

“Given the possibility hemp offers as a cover crop, in terms of improving vineyard soils, potentially enhancing wine quality and offering a second income stream from the property, it is expected more and more grape growers will experiment with hemp either as an intercrop or as part of a more diverse cover crop mix,” researchers state in the study’s discussion. “Further work needs to be done on the effects of wines, both in terms of quality, but also the potential for cannabinoid and/or off flavour pickup in red wines grown near hemp plants.”

The full study can be found here.

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Cannabis businesses in Texas may soon make more money than the wine industry, the Austin Business Journal reports. Cannabis companies brought in over $8 billion in revenue in 2022, according to a new report from Whitney Economics, an Oregon-based cannabis and hemp analytics firm. Even though plenty of people enjoy both wine and weed (sometimes together), the booze hounds and the stoners are always competing against one another, even just for fun. And, at the moment, in Texas, the sommeliers may need to watch their backs. 

However, unfortunately, there is one major setback keeping the stoners from celebrating this win. Recreational cannabis is still illegal in Texas. Possession of up to two ounces is a class B misdemeanor and can get you up to 180 days in prison and a fine of up to $2,000. In November of 2022, the vast majority of voters in Denton, Texas, approved a measure decriminalizing low-level marijuana offenses. However, city leaders defied those results, voting “against adopting the ordinance that would have decriminalized marijuana” by a margin of 4-3, CBS News Texas reported.

The Tex-Mex restaurant E-Bar recently went viral for its anti-stoner policy posted on its window reading: “If You Have The Smell Of Marijuana On You We Will Not Serve You.” 

The Lone Star State allows medical cannabis for conditions such as epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and terminal cancer. Texas’ Compassionate Use Program confirmed they had nearly 61,000 registered patients in July (up from more than 45,000 in January, according to state data).

However, that doesn’t mean that Texans who use marijuana medically can just get a high-THC edible delivered to really knock out the pain while they kick back to binge-watch a dark comedy. Residents in states like New York and California forget how good they have it. In Texas, medical patients are only granted low-THC oil, with less than 1% THC. This law has been in effect since 2015. CBD is legal, thanks to the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, and that’s what these analytics looked at. 

“This landmark study affirms the true value the hemp industry provides our state, from creating jobs and supporting livable wages to fostering business expansion and product innovation,” stated Ilissa Nolan in a statement, executive director of the Texas Hemp Coalition, a nonprofit dedicated to hemp advocacy and education, the Austin Business Journal reports. 

Whitney Economics compiled the data using surveys sent to CBD and hemp retailers, manufacturers, distributors, and smoke and vape shops, gas stations—pretty much any type of business that sells CBD was included. But only some of them got to participate. Around 53% of the estimated 5,000 hemp, CBD, and cannabinoid retailers, manufacturers, and distributors in Texas received the survey. So, these findings, while exciting, are limited. 

According to the data, businesses involved in hemp-derived CBD, from the manufacturing to the storefront, employed more than 50,000 Texans, generating between $19.1 billion to $22.4 billion in economic growth. (Revenue, which is income, is different from economic growth, which is an increase in the production of goods and services in an economy, hence the disparity between the earlier cited $8 billion figure). Worker wages in the cannabis space went beyond $1.6 billion. 

Conversely, the wine industry generated more than $20 billion for the Texas economy, according to Wine America, supporting more than 141,000 jobs with nearly $7 billion earned in worker wages. 

Alcohol sale was restricted in Texas leading up to national prohibition, which lasted from January 17, 1920 to December 5, 1933, but business has been booming since then. CBD has only been able to establish itself as a legal business model in the Lone Star state since 2018. Considering cannabis is already catching up to wine, despite the fact that it’s only legal in its mildest form (CBD), this indicates that Texans are voting with their money, and that money says that they want more cannabis. 

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At the auspicious time of 4:20 p.m. on April 20, 2023 I’m in a state of supreme zen, floating on my back within a mineral pool heated by underground hot springs to 85° F. With my shades pointed upwards at the warm springtime sun, I feel absolutely euphoric as tension dissolves from my body. It’s only in the absence of the tightness and stress I’ve been holding that I begin to feel the impact of the weight I’ve carried with me on the drive from Oakland all the way to the top of the Napa Valley. This 4/20, I’m incorporating the cannabis plant as one element of a full holistic jump towards joy. A new company, Cannescape, is hosting an overnight event in wine country that spotlights the best of California’s famed agricultural bounty and cannabis is on the carte du jour.

While weed-infused dinners are not uncommon in the Golden State, their grey area legality in terms of cannabis consumption means they are often hosted at private homes or event spaces. Founded by San Francisco-based travel writer Chelsea Davis, Cannescape is breaking boundaries in the tourism industry by pairing cannabis cuisine with legendary hotel properties. Her first event, held in February, took place at the Phoenix Hotel in San Francisco, a spot that’s hosted rock ‘n’ roll royalty. Her second event took place on 4/20 at Dr. Wilkinson’s resort in Calistoga, an area known for its mineral pools and volcanic mud baths. When we speak prior to the 4/20 event, Davis is on the heels of a press trip to a luxury hotel in Fiji.

“I have a good sense of what I appreciate as a traveler and when I’m going to a property or a great dinner,” Davis says. “I feel like my background in writing about hospitality, travel experiences, and great dinner events has really helped in terms of planning these events.”

Upon arriving in Calistoga and soaking in the pool, I head to my hotel room to prepare for the Cannescape dinner. I grew up in Solano County, which borders Napa County, and have fond childhood memories of spending time with my mom and brother in Calistoga. In fact, the first time I stayed at Dr. Wilkinson’s was with my mom a few years back. Since then the hotel, which was originally founded in 1952, has undergone a renovation. The property kept its emblematic neon sign and the pools are the same, but it now has a midcentury modern look designed to appeal to a younger demographic.

Out front on the city’s main street under the neon there’s another sign reading, “Where wellness meets happiness.” On the property are directional makers pointing to “detox” and “retox.” Once the producer of crops like walnuts and prunes, the Napa Valley is now known as one of the most famous wine producing areas in the world. Calistoga fully embraces its place within the iconic wine growing region, but it’s an unusual place to host a cannabis event as the city does not allow commercial cannabis cultivation or adult-use dispensaries.

“Obviously there are a lot of people who are against [cannabis], who are kind of very set in their ways. They think it’s going to tarnish Napa Valley’s reputation,” Davis says of hosting a weed event in wine country. “There’s a lot of push and pull, but I think ultimately when I was trying to figure out a company idea that was also relevant and something that people were interested in, I was betting on this only continuing to grow in terms of a feasible tourism industry.”

The idea for Cannescape was sparked through Davis’s background in tourism and travel, more specifically her social media work for the Napa Valley Cannabis Association.

“Napa is known for its incredible wine experiences, beautiful vineyards, fine dining, very luxurious experiences, but they also want to cater to a younger demographic and this demographic wants more experiences,” Davis says. “So not just fine wine, but obviously something that makes California unique is the fact that cannabis is legal.”

California cannabis law dictates that only licensed dispensaries can sell THC infused-food and beverages. To work around this restriction, the dinner at Dr. Wilkinson’s is composed of CBD-infused dishes and does not include smoking.

“Most hotels have rules against smoking and that’s just an extra layer of complications that I’m trying to avoid right now,” Davis explains.

Upon heading to the glass-enclosed event space where the CBD dinner will be held, I realize I’m still a bit early and join in a yoga class that’s happening in the grassy area in front of the hotel lobby. The Cannescape overnight is happening in conjunction with Calistoga Wellness Week and I’m taking it all in. After forming what feels like an instant friendship with another guest attending the dinner, we join in another one of the Wellness Week activities and make scented candles together. Next we head to the six-course meal, which is being presented by a connection Davis made through her writing, chef Solomon Johnson. Johnson won the fourth episode of Chopped 420, a cannabis cooking competition produced by the Food Network. After he and his business partner chef Michael Woods started the Pan-African take-out restaurant, the Bussdown, out of an Oakland ghost kitchen, they opened OKO, a restaurant located in Oakland’s famed Tribune Tower. When I speak to Johnson he’s in his home state of Maryland where he is working to open a restaurant within a food hall.

“I’m not a cannabis chef and I try to remind everyone that, you know, I am just a chef who loves cannabis,” Johnson says. “I look at it like any other ingredient in my pantry.”

Johnson sees himself as an advocate of plant medicine. Microdosing is a key concept behind his CBD dinner.

“We’re going to make sure everyone is mindful of their consumption…Too much of anything is a bad thing obviously,” he says. “Being mindful and intentional about how you medicate, why you medicate, and when is an important part of growth as a cannabis consumer.”

The dinner event begins with a presentation from some of the event sponsors. That includes author and certified sommelier Jamie Evans, the Herb Somm, speaking about cannabis and wine pairings. During her presentation Evans passes around wine glasses filled with different botanicals, including cannabis, to showcase terpenes—aromatic elements present in both cannabis and wine that contribute to their taste. Stephanie Honig, board president of the Napa Valley Cannabis Association, speaks to the group about her experience promoting cannabis in a region known for wine. Honig is also the director of sales and communication for her family’s business, Honig Vineyard and Winery.

“We all want the best thing for Napa,” Honig tells me in a phone call prior to the 4/20 event. “We’re third generation, our family business, and have four kids and want Napa to be successful and valuable and prosperous in the future obviously, but we just disagree on what that looks like. For some vintners or some Napa residents it’s really about sticking to wine exclusively. To me it’s looking at, you know, there is no other industry that doesn’t look at consumer trends and adapt to some extent.”

Most of the people who visit Napa Valley are Baby Boomers and Gen Xers, Honig explains, noting that the region needs to look towards attracting a younger demographic in order to remain successful.

“We’re losing [young tourists], we’re losing them to places like Mendocino and Lake County where they can go and have an experience of going to a winery, but also going to a brewery and having great food and going to a cannabis garden and having a diverse experience,” Honig says. “Napa has had double digit success for the last 20-30 years and it’s amazing, but I don’t believe in hanging your hat on that. I think you really just need to move forward and look at what’s next.”

During the 4/20 event Honig says she believes low-dose cannabis beverages can be an alternative or additive to alcoholic beverages. The Cannescape dinner reinforced this idea by beginning with non-alcoholic cannabis aperitifs from Artet. Next, myself and the other diners jumped into Johnson’s meal. Each course incorporated 10.5 mg of CBD, but we were all also offered a side dish containing 30 mg of THC-infused avocado oil to add to our dishes as we pleased. Highlights of the dinner included a black bean soup with a tempura cannabis leaf crisp and a crab tart with maltaise sauce and caviar. The whole experience felt decadent and by the end most of the dinners were smiling and sedated by the effects of the CBD.

“Think about [CBD] not being psychoactive, but being more relaxing, it’s a notable difference and I think that’s part of the education process,” Johnson says. “A lot of people at this dinner may be first timers and they may not have experienced the quote unquote ‘medicated’ feeling so I think it’s great. It’s like the kiddie pool, you know what I mean?”

Johnson says participating in dinners like the one hosted by Cannescape are a “powerful social experience” that should include educating diners so they can break down the stigmas associated with cannabis. It’s also a chance to boost tourism dollars in the local economy.

“Having this opportunity to work with so many iconic spaces is fueling the fire in a way that we would not have been able to do on our own had we been trying to provide this service without them. But it’s also a symbiotic relationship in the sense that these spaces don’t always get booked out,” Johnson says. “Whether people want to admit it or not we are in an economic crisis where people are very smart with their money in the Bay Area just in general.”

After the dinner, I part ways with cannabis entrepreneur and activist Amber Senter whose company Landrace Origins provided the coffee during the next morning’s two-course CBD-infused breakfast. Senter spent her 4/20 holiday getting a massage at the resort’s spa and was headed to Washington, D.C. the next day for the National Cannabis Festival. We both agreed that the Cannescape event was one of the classiest 4/20s we’ve ever experienced. “Wellness” is a buzzword that gets thrown around often in both the cannabis and travel industries, but the magic point of ultimate relaxation arrives when you combine cannabinoids with other healthy habits like eating fresh food, participating in physical activities like yoga or taking in the waters of natural mineral springs.

“We’re premiering a new section of cannabis tourism which includes fine dining with travel and cannabis-infused dining,” Davis says.

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Sue Bachorski has joined House of Saka’s senior executive team.

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