Mumbai Customs seize hydroponic weed, gold, diamonds worth Rs 45 cr; 12 held

Mumbai Customs have seized hydroponic cannabis, gold and diamonds worth a combined Rs 45 crore in a series of enforcement operations at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, officials said on Wednesday. Twelve passengers have been arrested in connection with the seizures.

The operations were carried out between 3 and 10 December following specific intelligence inputs, officials said.

In the biggest haul, nine passengers arriving from Bangkok were detained and found carrying hydroponic marijuana valued at Rs 37.26 crore.

Officials said the contraband had been concealed in various ways, including inside trolley bags tagged to different flights and stuffed into lumps of tamarind to avoid detection.

All nine were arrested under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

In another interception, three more passengers from Bangkok were held with 6 kg of suspected hydroponic cannabis worth around Rs 6 crore. They were also arrested, officials said.

Customs teams further recovered gold worth Rs 1.51 crore from four passengers and diamonds valued at Rs 87.75 lakh from another individual. Separate cases under smuggling-related offences have been registered.

Officials said surveillance has been intensified at the airport amid rising instances of narcotics and precious metals being trafficked through international routes.

With PTI inputs