Ahmedabad: Customs officials at Ahmedabad airport seized 5.3 kg of hydroponic marijuana worth an estimated ₹5 crore from a passenger arriving from Bangkok.

The contraband was found hidden inside the accused’s checked-in trolley bag. In an attempt to evade detection, the accused had concealed the narcotics in five black polythene packets and surrounded them with lemons to mask the smell from sniffer dogs. However, the plan failed when the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) intercepted the passenger based on profiling.

According to the Customs Department, a detailed examination of the trolley bag led to the recovery of five packets containing a suspected narcotic substance. A field test confirmed the substance to be hydroponic marijuana (ganja), with the total seized quantity weighing 5.3 kg.

The passenger, a resident of Rajasthan, was arrested under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and the contraband was seized.

A senior customs official said sniffer dogs are trained to detect narcotics under various conditions and added that investigators are examining whether the seizure is linked to a larger international drug-smuggling network. DeshGujarat