8.9 kg hydroponic marijuana seized at Ahmedabad airport, Mumbai man held
Ahmedabad, Sep 21 (IANS) Customs officials at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) seized 8.913 kg of hydroponic marijuana from a Mumbai resident who arrived from Bangkok on Monday, with the contraband concealed among clothes in his checked-in baggage, officials said.
The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Ahmedabad Customs intercepted the male passenger after profiling passengers arriving on Thai Airways flight TG-343 from Bangkok.
During examination of his check-in baggage, officers recovered a green-coloured substance packed in 14 airtight plastic packets.
According to the Customs Department, the packets were concealed among clothes inside the baggage.
A preliminary test using an NDPS field-testing kit confirmed the substance as ganja (marijuana). The total weight of the recovered contraband was 8,913 grams, or approximately 8.9 kg.
The marijuana was seized under the relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and the passenger was arrested. Further investigation is underway.
The seizure comes amid several cases involving marijuana consignments being brought to Ahmedabad from Southeast Asia.
In June, Customs officials seized 10.911 kg of hydroponic marijuana from a 20-year-old passenger who arrived from Bangkok. Customs found the contraband in five packets concealed inside a checked-in trolley bag, and they arrested the passenger.
In May, the AIU had seized 6.54 kg of marijuana from another Bangkok-Ahmedabad passenger.
Officials found the substance in six vacuum-sealed packets concealed inside a trolley bag, and they arrested the passenger under the NDPS Act.
A further seizure was reported in July, when Customs officials recovered 5.3 kg of hydroponic marijuana from a Bangkok returnee at Ahmedabad airport.
The contraband had been packed in five black polythene packets and concealed in a checked-in trolley bag.
In another recent case, Customs seized 5.5197 kg of hydroponic marijuana from a Mumbai resident arriving from Ho Chi Minh City on September 5.
The contraband was concealed in packets placed inside cookie boxes and a cornflakes packet in his hand baggage.
Authorities are investigating the latest case to establish the source and intended destination of the seized contraband.
–IANS
mys/dan
