Marijuana worth Rs 5 crore found concealed in cereal boxes at Mumbai airport

Around 5 kg of marijuana was concealed in cereal boxes at Mumbai airport. Pic/Mumbai Customs

Mumbai Customs Zone-III officers seized around 4.9 kilogrammes (kg) of marijuana, which was concealed in cereal boxes, at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. The estimated street value of the confiscated narcotics is around Rs 5 crore, said officers.

"The incident occurred on Saturday when a passenger traveling from Bangkok was intercepted by the customs officers. The Indian national was found carrying the marijuana, which was cleverly hidden in breakfast cereal boxes inside his check-in baggage," said a customs officer.

"Upon questioning, the passenger revealed that two individuals were waiting outside the airport to collect the contraband from him. Acting swiftly on the information, a team of officers from the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) accompanied the passenger to the airport's exit. We then apprehended two individuals outside the terminal who appeared to be waiting for the passenger. These individuals were taken inside the airport for further questioning," the officer added.

"A thorough examination of their mobile phones and interrogation revealed that these individuals were tasked with identifying the passenger and receiving the contraband. The operation resulted in the arrest of the passenger and the two suspected receivers." said an AIU officer.

The arrested individuals are currently in custody and are being interrogated further to uncover more details about the smuggling operation and any potential links to larger drug networks. The details of the individuals were not disclosed by the customs officers as the matter is still under investigation.

In a similar case, a Kenyan passenger was arrested after the Airport Commissionerate, Mumbai Customs Zone-III, seized 482.66 gm of narcotic drugs worth approximately Rs 4.83 crore from him on August 16, Mumbai Customs officers said.

"During the night of 15/16 August, Airport Commissionerate, Mumbai Customs Zone-III, seized 482.66 gm of cocaine worth approximately Rs 4.83 crore. The goods were concealed in body cavity. One Kenyan passenger was arrested," a press release by Mumbai Customs stated.

It further said that a white-coloured substance in powder form, purported to be cocaine, was found concealed inside the body of the foreign national. Cocaine is a contraband under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS), 1985.