Four held with hydroponic cannabis worth ₹64 cr

During the operation, customs officers seized 64.394 kg of hydroponic cannabis smuggled from Bangkok

MUMBAI: The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of the customs department arrested four passengers, including a foreign national, at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in connection with a consignment of hydroponic cannabis worth around ₹64 crore.

Four held with hydroponic cannabis worth ₹64 cr

During the operation, customs officers seized 64.394 kg of hydroponic cannabis smuggled from Bangkok. Officers said that over the past few months, there was a significant surge in crimes involving the smuggling of hydroponic cannabis from Bangkok. Due to this, CSMIA had launched a special drive targeting such smugglers. While the operation was underway, the Air Intelligence Unit received a tip off that a consignment of hydroponic cannabis worth crores was being smuggled in on a flight arriving from Bangkok.

Officers then began thorough inspection on Tuesday, examining every passenger arriving from Bangkok along with their luggage. They detained four individuals, a foreign national and three Indian passengers, for questioning.

During a search of the four accused’s luggage, the officers found a stash of hydroponic cannabis. Investigations revealed that the accused had gotten the drug in Bangkok, where someone handed it over and instructed them to deliver it to their associates in Mumbai. In exchange, they were promised a commission and air tickets for the Bangkok-Mumbai route. They were, however, arrested before they could exit the airport premises.

Following their arrest, a case was registered against all four passengers under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act. Once arrested, the four individuals were produced before the Killa Court on Wednesday afternoon where they were remanded to 14 days of judicial custody.

Over the past few months, customs officials have arrested numerous passengers arriving from Bangkok and seized hydroponic cannabis consignments worth thousands of crores. As these operations continue, customs officials have heightened their vigilance. In particular, officials are now subjecting every passenger arriving from Bangkok to scrutiny, conducting both interrogations and physical inspections.