Ahmedabad Customs seize 13 kg of hydroponic marijuana worth Rs 13 crore

Ahmedabad Customs arrested two passengers from Surat after seizing 13.012 kg of suspected hydroponic marijuana worth around Rs 13 crore at the city's international airport. The passengers had arrived from Bangkok. Officials recovered 14 vacuum-sealed packets from their luggage

Ahmedabad: Ahmedabad Customs officials have arrested a man and a woman from Surat district after seizing 13.012 kg of hydroponic marijuana, estimated to be worth around Rs 13 crore, from their luggage after they arrived from Bangkok at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) in Ahmedabad on Sunday.

The seizure was made on Sunday by officers of the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Ahmedabad Customs following passenger profiling. The two passengers were travelling on Thai Airways flight TG-343 from Bangkok.

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During X-ray screening of their check-in luggage, officials noticed suspicious images in the trolley bags. A detailed examination led to the recovery of 14 vacuum-sealed packets concealed inside the bags.

Preliminary testing of the substance found in the packets returned positive results for “ganja”. The total weight of the recovered hydroponic marijuana was 13.012 kg.

A Customs official told IANS, “The two passengers, one male and one female, are both residents of Surat. The estimated value of the seized contraband is approximately Rs 13 crore.”

The narcotic substance was seized under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and both passengers were arrested. Further investigation is underway.

The seizure comes amid a series of hydroponic marijuana interceptions at Ahmedabad airport in recent months.

On September 22, Customs officials arrested a Mumbai resident after recovering 8.9 kg of hydroponic marijuana from his checked-in baggage following his arrival from Bangkok.

Earlier, on September 6, officials seized 5.5 kg of the drug concealed in cookie boxes and a cornflakes packet from a passenger arriving from Ho Chi Minh City.