Telangana’s EAGLE Force has busted an international hydroponic ganja trafficking syndicate, arresting 20 people and seizing 13 kg of drugs. Officials said the network operated across Bangkok and Indian cities, including Hyderabad, with around 200 persons suspected to be involved.
The DRI arrested seven people smuggling 27.15 kg of hydroponic ganja, valued at Rs 9.5 crore, from passengers arriving from Bangkok. The substance tested positive for cannabis, and all accused were booked under the NDPS Act, 1985.
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.
The DRI Hyderabad unit apprehended a woman arriving from Bangkok at RGI Airport carrying 13.3 kg of hydroponic ganja valued at approximately Rs. 13.3 crore. Investigations are ongoing to uncover the broader network involved in this case.
Hydroponic ganja is fast emerging as a new high among Hyderabad’s drug users, prompting Indian cartels to place bulk orders from Thailand, where cultivation was decriminalised in 2022. Women are being increasingly used as couriers to smuggle the contraband into India.
A woman smuggling 40.2 kg of hydroponic ganja from Bangkok via Dubai was caught by NCB officials at RGI Airport, Shamshabad. The ganja is worth Rs 14 crore. Authorities are tracking her international and local links to bust the full network.
