Ahmedabad, May 22: Customs officials reported that on Friday, officers from the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) seized 20.366 kilograms of marijuana hidden in vacuum-sealed packets at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) in Ahmedabad. A male Indian national was arrested in connection with the case.
The operation was conducted on the night of May 20-21, based on specific intelligence received from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and profiling of incoming passengers.
The passenger, a resident of Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, arrived on Thai Airways flight TG-343 from Bangkok. During a thorough inspection of his trolley bag, officials discovered 19 vacuum-sealed packets filled with green, dried plant material.
Initial field tests confirmed that the substance was marijuana. The total amount seized was 20.366 kilograms, which was confiscated under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act of 1985.
Officials stated that the passenger was detained and arrested under the NDPS Act. The case has been handed over to the DRI for further investigation into a broader network and potential cross-border connections.
A senior official confirmed that the estimated illegal market value of the seized drugs is approximately ₹20 crore.
Authorities noted that this seizure follows a recent trend involving passengers arriving from Bangkok, where high-quality marijuana is often concealed in vacuum-sealed packaging and seized based on intelligence-driven profiling.
In a similar recent case, on May 17, the AIU seized 6.54 kilograms of marijuana from a passenger arriving on the same flight route from Bangkok when officials uncovered several vacuum-sealed packets hidden in a trolley bag.
Previously, on January 2, customs officials at the same airport seized 7.7 kilograms of hydroponic cannabis from a passenger arriving from Bangkok, based on intelligence from the DRI.
In another operation last December, authorities at Ahmedabad Airport confiscated approximately 6.2 kilograms of marijuana from passengers arriving from Bangkok, confirming a regular trend of drug trafficking attempts along Southeast Asian routes.
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