Drug Raids Continue in Popular Shenzhen F&B Spots

By Bryan Grogan, December 6, 2018

In the aftermath of a massive drug raid on a popular Guangzhou bar, Hooley’s Irish Pub, we heard stories about a smaller raid on a group of restaurants and bars in Shuiwei village, Futian District.

According to multiple sources, a raid took place on Thanksgiving, November 22, with police visiting a group of eateries and bars in the Shuiwei area, at least two of which are well-known and popular establishments on the local F&B scene.

In one particular bar, we were told that police arrived at 11.30pm on November 22, and customers were asked to perform drug tests. The police left the establishment after about 30 minutes, with no arrests occurring, and moved on to another nearby bar.

We were also told that police performed drug raids in both Chinese- and foreign-owned establishments. We reached out to Futian District Public Security Bureau to clarify these stories, but have yet to get a response.

This stands in contrast to the reports coming from Guangzhou on Monday night where the raid reportedly lasted for hours, but while speaking to bar owners around Shenzhen we were informed that these raids are no longer a rarity.

Revelers should also be aware that police have begun to crack down on indoor smoking. According to Shenzhen Daily, authorities have been performing raids all across Shenzhen in recent months, with a number of bars and KTVs receiving fines for allowing customers to smoke inside.

We recently spoke with the UK government, who gave us some insight into China’s ongoing crackdown on drugs, which has seen an increase in arrests over the past year. According to the officials we chatted with:

Double the number of British people have been detained this year compared to same period in 2017.
The crackdown is not just focused on municipalities like Shanghai and Beijing, but in cities across China. Within eastern China, approximately half the British Consulate cases are split between Shanghai and the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
There has been an increasing number of deportations for possession of less than five grams of marijuana, with subsequent five-year travel bans imposed in most cases.

It is strongly recommended that you avoid illegal substances while living in China. We also recommend that our readers carry their passport and police registration with them at all times to avoid issues with local authorities.

If you have further information on the recent raid in Shuiwei you’d like to share with us, or of a similar raid, send us an email at bryangrogan@urbanatomy.com.

[Cover image via Bendibao]