Malaysian national held with over 4 kg hydroponic ganja at Chennai airport

Chennai Customs arrested a Malaysian national for allegedly smuggling 4.033 kg of high-grade hydroponic ganja through Chennai airport from Bangkok. The contraband was concealed in false-bottom luggage and seized under the NDPS Act. Customs launched a probe into the wider network

Chennai: The air intelligence unit of Chennai Customs intercepted a Malaysian national attempting to smuggle over four kgs of high-grade hydroponic ganja through Chennai International Airport on August 7.

Acting on passenger profiling, customs officials intercepted the traveler, who had arrived on a flight from Bangkok, as he attempted to walk through the Green Channel without making any mandatory declarations. Subsequent X-ray screening of his checked-in luggage revealed suspicious internal density images, prompting officers to conduct a detailed physical examination.

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During the search, officials recovered four packets containing a greenish, lumpy substance emitting a sharp, pungent odour, an official release from Joint Commissioner of Customs K M Guru Rajesh on Saturday late night said.

The contraband was ingeniously concealed inside custom false bottoms constructed within the checked-in bags. Testing with a Narcotic Drug Detection Kit confirmed the substance to be Hydroponic Ganja (Cannabis), yielding a total net weight of 4,033 grams.

Customs officers seized the illegal narcotics under Section 43(a) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. The passenger was formally arrested and remanded to judicial custody, while a detailed investigation remains in progress to trace the wider network.

Following the seizure, Guru Rajesh also issued an advisory cautioning the public, particularly youth, to remain vigilant against offers of sponsored foreign travel and easy money for carrying unknown baggage on their return journey.

He said analysis of recent cases reveals that smuggling syndicates frequently target young individuals by funding their travel, accommodation, and other expenses, and subsequently use them to carry and deliver contraband into India. Involvement in such activities can ruin lives, as these are serious offences under the law that invite strict punishment and long-term legal consequences, he added.