Woman arrested at Pune airport with hydroponic ganja worth Rs 1.14 crore in trolley bag from Bangkok

The Customs department has taken major action once again against drug smuggling at Pune International Airport. 3 kg 255 g of hydroponic ganja was seized from the baggage of an Indian woman passenger who arrived from Bangkok. According to Customs, the contraband is estimated to be worth Rs 1.14 crore in the international market.

The action was taken on the evening of November 5. The woman had arrived in Pune from Bangkok on Air India Express flight IX-291. Her behaviour appeared suspicious, and suspicion was also raised during the scanning of her checked-in baggage. Officers of Customs' Air Intelligence Unit and the airport batch then opened her bag and examined it.

The examination found that secret compartments had been made in a special manner on both sides of the lining inside the trolley bag. Two rectangular packets were hidden in these compartments. Each packet was wrapped in three layers of vacuum-sealed black plastic. On opening the packets, dry ganja, yellowish-green in colour and with a strong smell, was found inside.

Officers tested the substance with a field testing kit, and it turned out to be hydroponic ganja. Customs then seized the entire consignment under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and arrested the woman passenger.

The Air Intelligence Unit and the airport batch of Customs carried out the action jointly. Further investigation is under way to find out who else is behind the smuggling and what its network is. The action caused a stir at the airport.

Customs has clarified that the recovered substance was tested with a field testing kit and was described as hydroponic ganja on that basis. The woman's arrest was made under the NDPS Act, and the investigation in the case is continuing.