Ahmedabad: Customs officials at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) Airport on Monday arrested a passenger after seizing 9.3 kg of heroin concealed in his luggage. The accused, a resident of Wayanad, Kerala, had arrived in the city from Kuala Lumpur.

The seizure is the latest in a series of drug smuggling cases detected at the city airport, where authorities have intercepted passengers attempting to bring high-value contraband into the country. While earlier cases involved substances such as hydroponic weed, officials said the latest heroin haul carries a significantly higher value in the international market.

According to the Customs Department, officers became suspicious after scanning the passenger’s hand baggage and noticing unusual X-ray images. The passenger was subsequently stopped for a detailed examination.

During the inspection, officials recovered multiple packets labelled as food supplements and chocolates from the bag. However, closer scrutiny revealed that the packets contained a white powder and granular substance instead of the declared items.

A preliminary examination conducted by the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) identified the seized substance as heroin. Customs officials recovered and seized the 9.3 kg consignment under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and arrested the passenger.

This comes close on the heels of another operation on May 16, during which customs authorities seized 6.54 kg of cannabis from a passenger arriving from Thailand. In that case, the narcotic substance had been concealed in vacuum-sealed packets hidden inside a trolley bag, and the accused was also arrested under the NDPS Act. DeshGujarat