Mumbai Customs seize hydroponic weed worth Rs 49 crore, 4 held

Mumbai Customs on Monday said that it arrested four persons with hydroponic weed worth Rs 49 crore in separate seizures at the city international airport reported the PTIThe contraband was transported from Tashkent and Bangkok by the accused who were part of a drug syndicate he saidThe customs department conducted a special drive at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport CSMIA from September 12 to 15 the official said according to the PTIThe team intercepted a passenger who arrived from Tashkent Uzbekistan and found 7118 kg of hydroponic weed worth Rs 71 crore concealed inside a trolley bagSimilarly they caught a person travelling from Bangkok Thailand with 18025 kg of the substance worth Rs 18 crore he saidBased on a tipoff two more travellers from Bangkok were apprehended at the airport with contraband worth Rs 179 crore and Rs 6 croreMumbai Customs officers also caught three persons travelling to Jeddah with concealed foreign currency worth Rs 1596 lakhIn an another incident the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence DRI on Sunday said that it has seized 392 kg of hydroponic weed from passengers who arrived at the CSMIA on Sunday an official said reported the PTIThe Mumbai zonal unit of the DRI also apprehended one person who had come to the airport to collect the contraband the official saidBased on a tipoff the authorities intercepted two Indian nationals travelling from Bangkok Thailand and on searching their luggage found 39 packets containing a green substance concealed inside he said according to the PTIThe substance was later found to be hydroponic weed the official saidThe accused have been arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances NDPS Act and further probe is underway he saidMeanwhile in an another cases last week On the intervening night of Sunday and Monday the Airport Commissionerate at Mumbai Customs Zone3 seized 1383 kg of hydroponic weed worth Rs 1383 crore in two separate cases the officials had earlier saidAccording to the Mumbai Customs in the first case customs officers intercepted a passenger from Bangkok on flight VZ760 on Sunday September 7 based on specific intelligence While examining his baggage the officers recovered 2002 kg of suspected hydroponic weed valued around Rs 2 crore The drug was concealed inside the accusedrsquos checkedin trolley bagThe passenger was arrested following the seizure of the contraband said an officialThe Mumbai Customs further said that in the second case at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport CSMIA based on passenger profiling customs officers intercepted another passenger arriving from Bangkok on flight UL143 on Monday Upon examining the baggage the officers recovered 11834 kg of hydroponic weed with an estimated market value of Rs 1183 croreThe contraband was hidden inside the checkedin trolley bag The passenger was arrested under the NDPS Act 1985 an official had earlier saidwith PTI inputs