Mumbai, June 3: The recent seizures made by Mumbai Airport Customs officers have revealed that Vietnam has emerged as a new supply point of hydroponic weed after Thailand. In two separate cases, Airport Customs officers have arrested two persons for allegedly smuggling weed collectively valued at Rs 9.50 crore sourced from Vietnam.
According to Customs, the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) officers, acting on specific intelligence, intercepted passenger Mohammad Toshid (34), a resident of Madhya Pradesh, after he arrived from Hanoi, Vietnam, in the wee hours of Tuesday.
Upon opening two bags carried by Toshid, officers found 14 transparent sealed plastic polythene packets containing hydroponic weed weighing 4,758 grams and valued at Rs 4.75 crore.
Two passengers arrested in separate cases
In another case on Tuesday, Customs officers intercepted Muhammed Anas Pullambady (25), a resident of Kerala, after he arrived at CSMI Airport from Hanoi on suspicion of carrying contraband.
Upon opening his trolley bag, officers found 16 transparent vacuum-sealed plastic packets containing hydroponic weed weighing 4,794 grams and valued at Rs 4.79 crore.
In their statements to Customs, Toshid and Pullambady admitted having knowledge, possession, non-declaration, concealment, recovery and seizure of the goods found in their possession. They told Customs officers that they had engaged in smuggling for the lure of money promised for carrying the contraband to India.
Customs probe wider network
"The preliminary investigation carried out so far in accordance with the law and the statements given by the accused persons disclose the involvement of other persons who are yet to be traced. The investigation in the cases is at a very preliminary stage, and efforts are being made to identify and apprehend key associates of the accused persons. While we have detected several cases where passengers arriving from Bangkok had been smuggling weed, in the last few cases Vietnam has also emerged as a supply point of weed for smuggling into India," said a Customs officer.
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Last week, Mumbai Airport Customs officials had arrested a 30-year-old Ahmedabad resident, Moinkhan Nasirkhan Pathan, for allegedly smuggling drugs worth crores of rupees sourced from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
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