CHENNAI: In two major drug busts at Chennai’s Anna International Airport, Air Customs officials seized narcotics worth nearly Rs 8 crore in separate incidents involving international passengers.
In the first case, acting on specific intelligence, Chennai Air Customs intercepted a female passenger from Zambia on March 26, 2025. The woman arrived on an Emirates Airlines flight from Senegal via Dubai.
During a personal search, officials recovered 460 grams of a white powdery substance and 12 cylindrical, hyper-dense objects, which the passenger later egested with medical assistance.
Both the substance and the objects tested positive for cocaine, a psychotropic substance under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. The total quantity of cocaine seized amounted to 610 grams, with an estimated illicit market value of Rs 6.1 crore. The passenger was arrested and remanded to judicial custody. Further investigation is ongoing.
In another operation on April 1, an Indian male passenger arriving from Bangkok on an Indigo Airlines flight was intercepted following specific intelligence inputs.
Upon examining his check-in baggage, officials discovered 1.816 kilograms of hydroponic ganja concealed in silver packaging. The estimated value of the seized contraband is approximately Rs 1.8 crore.
The passenger was arrested and presented before the Judicial Magistrate under the NDPS Act and was remanded to judicial custody. Investigations are currently underway.