28 October,2024 06:26 PM IST | Mumbai | Prasun Choudhari
The seized marijuana
Mumbai Customs on Monday said that it seized marijuana worth over Rs 4.8 crore at city airport and a passenger who arrived from Bangkok and was allegedly found in possession of the illegal substance was arrested.
The customs department stated that on the intervening night of October 27 and 28, the officials at Mumbai airport made a major drug bust during baggage scanning.
It said that the officials seized 4.856 kilograms of suspected marijuana, valued at around Rs 4.856 crore, from a passenger arriving from Bangkok.
The Customs department further said that the passenger had hidden the drugs in vacuum-sealed packets made of transparent plastic. These packets were concealed inside boxes of food items in the passenger's trolley bag.
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"He was arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act of 1985. The investigation is ongoing as officials work to uncover more details about the case," said an official.
In a similar incident the Mumbai Customs had earlier this month seized over 1.4 kg marijuana that was concealed in garments from passenger who had arrived at city airport from Bangkok.
The passenger was held by the customs department following the seizure, the officials had earlier said.
An official statement said that on October 18, the officials at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMI) intercepted a passenger arriving from Bangkok and seized a significant amount of illegal drugs.
"The officials found a total of 1.452 kilograms of suspected Ganja (Marijuana) with an estimated market value of Rs 1.452 crore," an official said.
They said that the drugs were cleverly hidden in vacuum-sealed packets, wrapped in various garments, and concealed within the passenger's check-in bag.
The proceedings against the passenger would be conducted as per the provisions of the Customs Act, 1962 and the NDPS Act, 1985, the officials said, adding that further investigations in the matter were going on.
A similar seizure was made by the Mumbai Customs on October 14.
The customs department had said that it had seized 5 kilograms of marijuana at airport that was hidden in food packets and wrapped in gift paper.
An official statement had earlier stated that the officials at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMI) made a significant drug bust when they intercepted a passenger arriving from Bangkok. They seized over 5 kilograms of marijuana, estimated to be worth Rs 5.07 crores.
