AIU Seizes 5.23 Kg Methaqualone Worth ₹2.61 Crore At Pune Airport, Passenger Held

The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Pune Commissionerate (Pune Zone) seized a huge quantity of drugs worth over ₹2.61 crore at Pune International Airport, officials said on Saturday.

Acting on a tip-off from specific intelligence, AIU officers intercepted a passenger who arrived from Bangkok on Air India Express flight IX-241 on September 18.

During the inspection of his check-in luggage, officials recovered a white substance in powder and crystal form weighing 5.23 kilograms.

Field testing later confirmed the substance as Methaqualone, a psychotropic drug banned under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

The contraband, valued at approximately ₹2.61 crore in the illicit market, was immediately seized. The passenger has been placed under arrest.

Senior officials speaking to The Free Press Journal said further investigation is underway to trace the source of the narcotics and possible links to larger smuggling networks.

They added that all the people involved will be arrested soon. The matter is under probe.