Chennai man returning from Thailand arrested with 6 kg hydroponic ganja

CHENNAI: Customs officials seized 6 kg of hydroponic ganja, worth about Rs 6 crore, from a passenger who arrived from Kuala Lumpur at Thursday midnight.

Based on intelligence that narcotics were being smuggled into Chennai through international flights, the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) officers intensified surveillance on passengers arriving from destinations including Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Colombo.

During the checks, officials intercepted a Chennai-based man, aged around 30, who arrived from Kuala Lumpur on Thursday night. Officers found he had travelled to Thailand as a tourist and returned to Chennai through Malaysia. The officers found the passenger was evasive in his replies, and soon he was taken to the Customs office for detailed examination.

During a search of his baggage, officials found nine packets concealed among packaged food items. On opening the packets, they found 6 kg of hydroponic ganja valued at about 6 crores was concealed among them.

The passenger was arrested, and the ganja was seized. Customs officials are now investigating the source of the drugs and the network involved in the smuggling operation. They are also trying to identify the receiver in Chennai.

The seizure comes just days after Customs and Narcotics Control Bureau officials confiscated 11 kg of hydroponic ganja worth Rs 11 crore from two passengers from Kerala who had arrived from Thailand via Singapore.