Mumbai, Jan 28: Mumbai Airport Customs officers have recently arrested a 29-year-old man for allegedly smuggling hydroponic weed valued at around Rs 10 crore from Bangkok. Customs officials are probing who supplied the drugs to the accused in Bangkok and who was supposed to receive them in Mumbai.
Accused identified
The arrested person has been identified as Keshav Kumar, a resident of Ludhiana, Punjab.
Seizure at CSMI Airport
According to Customs officials, on receipt of specific intelligence inputs, they intercepted passenger Keshav Kumar after he arrived at CSMI Airport, Mumbai, from Bangkok.
Examination of his trolley bag resulted in the recovery and seizure of 9,956 grams of fruiting and flowering tops of a greenish plant, purported to be hydroponic weed, stuffed in ten sealed plastic packets, valued at around Rs 10 crore.
Accused admits to smuggling
“In his statement, Kumar admitted that he was aware that smuggling of ganja and other illegal drugs into India attracts stringent punishment as per laws prevalent in India. However, he was getting a handsome amount of quick and easy money in lieu of smuggling the contraband to India,” said a Customs officer.
Probe at preliminary stage
“The preliminary investigation carried out so far in accordance with the law and the statement given by the accused disclose the involvement of other persons who are yet to be traced. The investigation in the case is at a very preliminary stage, and efforts are also being made to identify and apprehend key associates of the accused,” the officer said.
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Rising trend in hydroponic weed smuggling
“Policy changes permitting the cultivation and sale of cannabis in Thailand have increased accessibility, creating new opportunities for traffickers. This has led to rising instances of hydroponic weed being smuggled into India through airports and courier routes. With declining profits in gold smuggling, many traffickers have shifted to narcotics, leveraging their existing networks in Thailand and neighbouring countries. Most cases involved smuggling from Bangkok to various Indian airports, following a common modus operandi: vacuum-sealed packets of hydroponic weed,” the DRI stated in its recent annual report.
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