Rising trend of women lured by drug cartels caught smuggling hydroponic ganja at Hyderabad airport

In Hyderabad, a rising number of women are being arrested for smuggling hydroponic ganja, lured by the promise of big money from drug cartels. In two separate incidents at RGI Airport in the past fortnight, women were caught carrying large quantities of the substance, having traveled through international routes such as Dubai and Bangkok.

Hyderabad: Greed for money is landing women linked to drug cartels in prison. In the last fortnight, at least two women were caught at the RGI Airport for smuggling hydroponic ganja.

On Monday, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) caught a woman at RGI Airport and seized around 13 kilograms of hydroponic ganja from her. The woman had concealed the hydroponic ganja, valued at roughly Rs 13 crores in her baggage.

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Two weeks ago, the Narcotics Control Bureau caught a woman at RGIA with 40.2 kilograms of hydroponic ganja. The woman, in an attempt to con the drug enforcement agencies, came to India via Dubai after collecting the drugs from Bangkok.

“In both cases, the women knew they were carrying banned substances and the consequences of getting arrested. It is the attraction of huge money that is forcing them into illegal activities,” said an official of a law enforcement agency.

During interrogation, one of the women told the officials that she had done it before also.

“The drug cartels offer anywhere between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 7 lakh to women carriers for making each trip. Plus, they provide free air tickets, free stay in hotels in Bangkok, and other benefits. If the women are arrested, then the legal expenses are borne by the drug syndicates, and also the family is paid some substantial money until the release of the women on bail,” said the official.

In the last two months, at least two dozen women were caught at different airports across the country, and most of them were coming from Bangkok carrying hydroponic ganja. Previously, gold smuggling syndicates used women to smuggle gold from the Middle East into India. However, as there is not much benefit now in the prices of yellow metal, gold smuggling has come down.

“The drug cartels are employing women to carry the drugs, assuming the law enforcers will not suspect them. This is no longer the case, all suspects irrespective of gender, are under surveillance. On the basis of our intelligence, they are caught,” said the official.