Customs seizes hydroponic weed worth ₹44.27 lakh at Pune airport

The passenger was produced before a competent judicial magistrate, who remanded him to judicial custody

Pune customs officials seized 1.265 kg of hydroponic weed, valued at approximately ₹44.27 lakh, from an Indian passenger arriving from Bangkok at Pune International Airport on October 19.

The packets contained a yellowish-green dried floral substance that preliminary field tests identified as hydroponic weed, also known as marijuana or ganja. (HT PHOTO)

The passenger arrived on Air India Express flight IX-241 and was intercepted by the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) and the airport batch of Pune customs following passenger profiling and X-ray screening of his check-in baggage.

During examination of his black trolley bag, officials discovered two specially constructed concealed compartments beneath the inner side linings. After cutting open the lining, they recovered two rectangular, slab-shaped packets wrapped in multiple layers of plastic and vacuum-sealed.

The packets contained a yellowish-green dried floral substance that preliminary field tests identified as hydroponic weed, also known as marijuana or ganja.

“The gross weight of the seized substance was 1.265 kg, with an estimated illicit market value of approximately ₹44.27 lakh,” said Shivkumar Salunkhe, additional commissioner, Pune Customs.

The contraband was seized under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. The passenger was produced before a competent judicial magistrate, who remanded him to judicial custody, Salunkhe said.