Passenger from Bangkok arrested at Mumbai airport for smuggling hydroponic weed worth Rs 11.32 crore

The passenger had concealed the hyrdoponic weed in vaccum-sealed plastic pouches and kept in a trolley bag.

The customs officers at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMI), Mumbai, in a significant seizure, recovered hydroponic weed (marijuana) worth Rs 11.32 crore on the intervening night of Thurday and Friday.

On the basis of spot profiling, the customs intercepted a passenger from Bangkok, and recovered 11.322 kg of the contraband from him.

The passenger had concealed the drugs in vacuum-sealed plastic pouches and kept them inside a trolley bag.

The officers have arrested him under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

Meanwhile, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), in separate cases, arrested two people recently with ganja, the agency's additional director for Mumbai, Amit Ghawate, said.

In the most-recent case, a man was nabbed from Kolhapur after NCB seized a consignment of drugs from a parcel at Mumbai airport on Thursday.

In view of the upcoming New Year festive season, the agency increased its vigilance at airport, which led them to a consignment of illicit drugs that was to be smuggled into Mumbai from Thailand on Tuesday. Accordingly, intelligence sources were activated which resulted in the identification of a baggage which was in transit from Bangkok to Mumbai on Thai Airways flight no TG 317. When the suspected baggage was opened, the agency found 13 kg of hybrid strain ganja from it.

An immediate follow-up action was initiated, leading to the identification of a Kolhapur-based person. A team of NCB immediately proceeded to Kolhapur and intercepted the accused on Thursday. Ghawate said corroborative evidences have been gathered and further investigation is underway.

In a second operation, following heightened illicit drug trafficking alert, especially through darkweb, the agency gathered information that a parcel concealing illicit drugs was on its way to Mumbai. Follwing technical analysis, the suspected parcel was seized at a post office in Mumbai. The agency recovered 1.23 grams of a psychedelic called Mescaline. After tracing the receiver, the agency conducted a search of his house, from where they recovered hydroponic ganja plants weighing 489 grams. According to the agency, the drugs were being grown in a controlled environment in the accused's bedroom. During interrogation, the accused allegedly confessed that the seized parcel was booked for procurement of the illicit drugs through darkweb. He has been arrested and further indepth investigation is underway, Ghawate informed.