CHENNAI: In yet another instance of a failed bid to smuggle hydroponic ganja into the country from Thailand, customs sleuths at Chennai airport seized 6.9 kg of the hybrid weed from a flyer and arrested him.
Acting on specific intelligence, customs officers on Tuesday afternoon intercepted a male passenger who visited Thailand on a tourist.
His check-in luggage was searched. The officers found an unusual number of pouches of chocolates and chips. They unsealed the wraps to find hydroponic ganja hidden in them. Officers said the seized items was worth Rs 7 crore in illegal drug market.
During interrogation, the passenger allegedly informed customs officers that he had been given the package by an anonymous person at Bangkok airport to hand it over to a receiver at Chennai. He was offered Rs 25,000.
However, the officers suspect that the flyer could have been sent to Thailand by a smuggling cartel just to carry the narcotics. They tried to identify the receiver outside the airport, but in vain.
This is the third seizure of hydroponic ganja at Chennai airport this year and the second within a week. On Jan 29, customs seized 23.5 kg of hydroponic ganja from three members of a family.