Pune, Oct 20 Customs officials on Tuesday said they have seized 1.265 kg of hydroponic weed worth Rs 44.27 lakh in the illicit market from an Indian passenger who arrived at the Pune airport from Bangkok.
Post-seizure of the drug, the passenger was placed under arrest, they said.
The operation was carried out by the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) and the Airport Batch of Pune Customs at the city’s international airport on October 19 (Monday).
The traveller arrived from Bangkok on an Air India Express flight and was intercepted based on passenger profiling and routine X-ray screening of check-in baggage, according to the officials.
A detailed examination of the passenger’s trolley bag revealed two concealed cavities beneath his personal belongings inside the side linings. On cutting open the inner lining, officials found two rectangular plastic packets sealed under vacuum.
The packets contained a yellowish-green dried plant substance, which was identified as hydroponic weed during preliminary testing, they said.
The weed was seized under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and a case was filed against the passenger under the stringent law.
After his arrest, the passenger was produced before a judicial magistrate, who sent him to jail.
Further investigation was underway to trace backward and forward linkages of the illegal drug supply chain, the officials added.
Hydroponic weed refers to cannabis plants grown using soil-free, water-based nutrient solutions rather than traditional soil.
(PTI News)
