Hydroponic Weed And Gold Seized
By Mewati Sitaram
In a major enforcement drive, officers of the Airport Commissionerate Customs Zone–III detected multiple narcotics and gold smuggling attempts between November 21 and 24, 2025, resulting in significant seizures and arrests.
Officials said a total of 32.698 kg of suspected hydroponic weed, valued at more than ₹32.69 crore in the illicit market, was recovered from passengers arriving from Bangkok across seven cases. In the first set of operations, officers acting on spot profiling and APIS-based passenger analysis intercepted four travellers who had landed from Bangkok on various flights. Searches led to the recovery of 10.899 kg of hydroponic cannabis worth ₹10.89 crore. All four passengers were arrested under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
In a separate intelligence-driven operation, officers seized another 21.799 kg of hydroponic weed valued at ₹21.79 crore from four additional Bangkok-arriving passengers. Each was caught carrying the contraband and subsequently arrested under the NDPS Act. Officials noted that the trend reflects increased trafficking of high-grade cannabis through Southeast Asian routes using air travellers as carriers.
Apart from narcotics, customs teams booked three cases of gold smuggling, recovering 608 grams of 24-karat gold valued at ₹73.46 lakh. All three passengers were intercepted based on profiling inputs, and the gold was seized under the Customs Act.
Senior officials said the successful interceptions were the result of enhanced intelligence sharing, real-time passenger assessment, and strengthened surveillance systems. They added that Mumbai Customs continues to reinforce monitoring and enforcement to curb illicit trafficking through the international airport.
Editor in Chief : Mewati SItaram
