Mumbai, May 9: Customs officials seized suspected hydroponic weed worth nearly Rs 20 crore and recovered foreign currency valued at around Rs 93 lakh in three separate cases detected at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport between May 7 and May 8, officials said.
Foreign currency worth Rs 93 lakh recovered
In one of the cases, Customs officers recovered USD 1,00,000, equivalent to around Rs 93.45 lakh, from a passenger who had arrived in Mumbai from Jamnagar and was scheduled to depart for Dubai on an IndiGo flight.
Officials said the interception was made on the basis of Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) profiling.
Hydroponic weed seized from Bangkok passenger
In another case, Customs officials seized 17.915 kg of suspected hydroponic weed, estimated to be worth around Rs 17.91 crore, from a passenger who arrived from Bangkok on a Thai Airways flight.
Two more passengers intercepted
Based on specific intelligence inputs, officers also intercepted two passengers arriving from Bangkok on an Air India flight and recovered 1.9 kg of suspected hydroponic weed valued at approximately Rs 1.9 crore.
Probe underway into smuggling network
Officials said investigators are probing the source of the contraband and foreign currency, as well as possible international syndicate links behind the smuggling attempts.
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Hydroponic weed, a high-grade form of cannabis cultivated using controlled growing techniques, has emerged as a major concern for enforcement agencies, with Mumbai airport witnessing a rise in seizures involving passengers arriving from Bangkok and other Southeast Asian destinations in recent months.
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