Five men have been charged after £100,000 of hybrid Californian cannabis, gold and cash was seized in raids across west London.
City of London Police believe large quantities of so-called “Cali Weed” is being illegally smuggled into the UK from America to be sold across the Square Mile and parts of the capital.
Rikesh Shah, 32, Tejpal Vig, 35, Akikur Rahman, 46, Sudarsan Pillai, 27, and Hariharan Pillai, 25, were arrested on September 18.
They appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday accused of conspiracy to supply and money laundering.
Detective Constable Jessica Perkins, of the force’s serious organised crime team, said: “Drugs in London severely impact our communities, drive violence and organised crime and can lead to vulnerable people being exploited.
“City of London Police is committed to bringing organised crime groups to justice and making our streets safer.”
Shah, of Bute Close, Edgware; Vig, from Newtown Road, Uxbridge; Rahman, of Long Lane, Uxbridge; Pillai, from Clairvale Road, Hounslow; and Pillai, of Clairvale Road, Hounslow were remanded in custody until a hearing at Inner London Crown Court on October 18.
The five defendants are in addition to three people who appeared in court after the discovery of more than £500,000 of the Class B drug at the four-star Hilton London Watford near the M1 in April.
Previously, Luke French, 35, of Birmingham, and Joanne Parkes, 47, were charged with fraudulent evasion of a prohibition on the importation of Class B drugs and possessing cannabis with intent to supply.
Parkes, of Benedon Road, Birmingham, is also accused of possession of criminal property.
Roberto Martinez, 32, of Huntingdon Park, California, is charged with importation.
