Daijiworld Media Network - Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad, Jun 28: Customs officials at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) have seized 10.91 kg of hydroponic marijuana, valued at nearly Rs 11 crore in the international market, from a passenger who arrived from Bangkok. The accused has been arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, officials said on Sunday.
The operation was carried out by the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Ahmedabad Customs after the passenger, a resident of Mangrol in Gujarat's Junagadh district, landed on Thai Airways flight TG-343 from Bangkok.
During routine screening, a customs sniffer dog alerted officers to the presence of suspected narcotics in the passenger's checked-in baggage. Acting on the baggage identification tag, officials intercepted the traveller and conducted a detailed inspection of his trolley bag.
The search led to the recovery of five silver-coloured polythene packets concealed inside the luggage. The packets contained green plant material, which tested positive for hydroponic marijuana using a field testing kit.
According to Customs officials, the seized contraband weighed 10,911 grams and is estimated to have an international market value of approximately Rs 11 crore. The narcotics were immediately confiscated, and the passenger was taken into custody under the provisions of the NDPS Act.
Investigators are now probing the origin of the consignment, its intended recipients, and whether the accused is linked to a larger international drug trafficking network.
The latest seizure is part of a growing pattern of attempts to smuggle hydroponic marijuana into India through passengers arriving from Bangkok. In recent months, Ahmedabad Customs has intercepted multiple consignments on the same route.
Last month, officials seized more than 20 kg of hydroponic marijuana concealed in the checked baggage of another passenger arriving from Bangkok. In separate operations, Customs also recovered around 6.5 kg and nearly four kg of the high-potency cannabis from passengers travelling on Thai Airways flights from the Thai capital.
The trend has also been witnessed at other major airports. Last week, Mumbai Customs arrested two passengers arriving from Bangkok after recovering over 19 kg of hydroponic marijuana from their baggage, indicating sustained efforts by drug trafficking syndicates to route premium cannabis into India through international air travel.