By Mewati Sitaram
In a week-long enforcement drive, officers of the Airport Commissionerate under Mumbai Customs Zone–III seized hydroponic weed worth nearly Rs 26 crore along with gold and foreign currency from passengers arriving at the city airport. The operations were conducted between November 25 and December 3, 2025, officials said.
According to Customs, multiple passengers flying in from Bangkok were intercepted after profiling and surveillance flagged their travel patterns. In the first set of seizures, based on spot and APIS profiling, officers recovered 8.682 kg of suspected hydroponic weed from four passengers arriving on different flights. The narcotics, valued at around Rs 8.68 crore, were booked under four separate cases. All four passengers were arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
Acting on specific intelligence, officers made an additional seizure of 16.797 kg of suspected hydroponic weed from five passengers who had also flown in from Bangkok. Valued at Rs 16.79 crore, the narcotics were seized in four cases. The five passengers were arrested under the NDPS Act.
Officials noted that hydroponic weed, a high-potency cannabis variant often trafficked through Southeast Asia, has seen increased smuggling attempts into India. The department has intensified passenger profiling and screening on these routes to curb such activities.
In addition to the narcotics haul, Customs booked three gold smuggling cases during the period. A total of 744.28 grams of gold, valued at Rs 81.67 lakh, was seized from three passengers.
In a separate case, officers seized foreign currency amounting to 12,000 US dollars—equivalent to Rs 10.53 lakh—from a passenger who had failed to declare it.
A senior Customs official said the department remains focused on dismantling smuggling networks through sustained surveillance and intelligence-led operations.
Editor in Chief : Mewati SItaram
