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Bengaluru airport drug bust: Ganja worth ₹3.4 crore found on passenger returning from Bangkok
Two passengers were arrested in connection with the smuggling attempts. The department stated the consignment was valued at ₹3.39 crore.
The Bengaluru Customs officials have intercepted narcotics worth more than ₹3.43 crore at Kempegowda International Airport in two separate incidents. Two passengers were arrested in connection with the smuggling attempts.
In the first case, a passenger arriving from Bangkok was found carrying 9.7 kg of hydroponic ganja, hidden inside checked-in luggage. The department stated the consignment was valued at ₹3.39 crore, news agency PTI reported.
Second seizure: Hashish in sweets
On the same day, Customs officials stopped another passenger from Bangkok. They recovered 1.7 kg of hashish or charas concealed inside candy packets, worth ₹4.25 lakh.
Both individuals have been arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. Investigations are ongoing.
In a separate news, Bengaluru police have arrested 19 people, among them 14 foreign nationals, and seized narcotics valued at nearly ₹7.7 crore in a series of citywide raids, officials announced on Tuesday. The operations were carried out by the Central Crime Branch’s Anti-Narcotics Wing.
According to police, coordinated searches across multiple neighbourhoods led to the recovery of 2.804 kg of MDMA crystals and 2.1 kg of hydroponic cannabis, said a report by news agency PTI.
In the first crackdown, conducted within the Suddagunte police limits, officers arrested a Nigerian woman accused of supplying drugs. Investigators recovered 760 grams of MDMA worth about ₹1.52 crore, along with her scooter and mobile phone.
Another bust took place in Mahadevapura, where five individuals were detained. Police seized 600 grams of hydro-ganja valued at around ₹60 lakh, as well as five phones linked to the peddling network, said the report. Officers said the group had rented a house in the area and were operating under the directions of an absconding kingpin.
(With inputs from PTI)
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