Mumbai Customs seized nearly 43 kg of hydroponic weed valued at Rs 43 crore and arrested five passengers arriving from Bangkok on separate flights. The contraband was recovered in two operations based on specific intelligence inputs at Mumbai International Airport, officials said
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In a major crackdown, the Mumbai Customs department has seized nearly 43 kilograms of hydroponic weed worth around Rs 43 crore. Officials, while briefing about the bust, asserted that they arrested five passengers who arrived from Bangkok in separate flights.
The officials from the Mumbai Customs asserted, “Based on specific inputs, officials of the Customs department's Airport Commissionerate intercepted these passengers at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport during the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday following their arrival in different flights,” as cited by news agency PTI.
The customs officials recovered 33.888 kilograms of the contraband from three passengers, an official added.
All of the five accused who travelled from Bangkok have been reportedly arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, the official noted.
Based on specific intelligence, officers also intercepted two more passengers travelling on a Thai Airways flight from Bangkok and recovered 9.010 kilograms of hydroponic weed valued at Rs 9.010 crore. They were also held under the NDPS Act.
While the arrests and seizure have already been made, the officials said that further investigation is still underway. Hydroponic weed refers to cannabis plants grown using a soil-free method that utilises nutrient-rich water solutions.
Mumbai Customs seize hydroponic weed, gold and foreign currency
Earlier on December 4, the Mumbai Customs had also seized hydroponic weed, gold and foreign currency in different operations at the Mumbai airport.
In an official statement, the Mumbai Customs said that while acting on spot profiling and APIS (Advance Passenger Information System) checks, the officials intercepted four passengers arriving from Bangkok on different flights. They recovered 8.682 kg of suspected NDPS (hydroponic weed) worth about Rs 8.68 crore. All four passengers were arrested under the NDPS Act, 1985.
Furthermore, in another set of operations based on specific intelligence, officers had also seized 16.797 kg of suspected hydroponic weed valued at Rs 16.79 crore from five passengers, also arriving from Bangkok. They too were arrested under the NDPS Act.
Apart from drug seizures, the Customs team detected three gold smuggling cases, recovering 744.28 grams of gold worth Rs 81.67 lakh from three passengers.
In another case, officers seized 12,000 US dollars (120 notes of USD 100), equivalent to Rs 10.53 lakh, from one passenger attempting to transport foreign currency illegally.
(With inputs from PTI)
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