CHENNAI: A 48-year-old man, who faked illness to avail wheelchair service to evade checking and tried to smuggle high-grade hydroponic ganja worth Rs 3 crore from Thailand via Malaysia, was arrested by Customs officials at the Chennai airport on Sunday.
According to Customs, an AirAsia flight from Thailand via Kuala Lumpur landed at Chennai airport in the early hours of Sunday. Officials were monitoring passengers and stopping those found suspicious for questioning.
The 48-year-old passenger arrived in a wheelchair, cleared immigration, collected his baggage from the conveyor belt, and attempted to exit through the Green Channel claiming he had no goods to declare.
However, the Customs officers deployed there found him to be suspicious and stopped him. During questioning, they found that the man had no medical condition requiring a wheelchair, which gave rise to the suspicion that he was using the wheelchair as a ruse to avoid scrutiny.
He was taken to the Customs office for a detailed examination. On checking his baggage, officers found six parcels containing three kilograms of hydroponic ganja. The value of the seizure is estimated to be Rs 3 crore. The passenger was arrested and the narcotic substance was seized.
During interrogation, officials learned that he was acting as a mule for an international drug trafficking network and had booked wheelchair assistance with fake medical documents to bypass Customs check.
The officials are now investigating whom the consignment was meant for and whether more persons are involved in the smuggling network.