Woman caught at Chennai airport with 4.8 kg of hydroponic Ganja smuggled from Malaysia

CHENNAI: Customs officials at Chennai International Airport seized 4.8 kg of hydroponic ganja, worth Rs 1.7 crore, smuggled from Malaysia and arrested a woman.

Officials who monitored passengers arriving by a flight from Kuala Lumpur on Saturday night stopped suspicious travellers for checking. A 32-year-old woman from Chennai, who had gone to Malaysia as a tourist and returned the very next day on the same flight, was stopped for questioning.

As she gave evasive replies, she was taken to the customs office for detailed examination. On checking her baggage, officials found parcels of dry fruits. Concealed among them were other parcels containing hydroponic ganja, weighing about 4.8 kg.

The probe revealed that the woman, who comes from a financially weak background, was lured with money and the prospect of a free foreign trip. A gang sent her to Malaysia at their expense and used her as a drug mule to smuggle the contraband into Chennai.

The woman was later produced before a magistrate and lodged in Puzhal prison. Customs officials have launched an intensive investigation to trace the gang that used her as a carrier.