Bangkok Passenger Held at Pune Airport Hydroponic Cannabis Worth Rs Rs 3.72 Crore Hidden in Food Packets
Pune, 5th November 2026: Pune Customs seized 10.642kg of hydroponic cannabis worth an estimated Rs 3.72 crore from a passenger arriving from Bangkok at Pune airport on Wednesday evening. The narcotics were concealed in packets labelled as freeze-dried durian and hidden among packets of noodles in the passenger’s check-in baggage, customs officials said.
The passenger, an Indian national who arrived on Air India Express flight IX-291 on November 4, was intercepted by officers of the Air Intelligence Unit and airport batch after passenger profiling and suspicious scanning of the baggage raised concerns.
During a detailed examination, officers found nine rectangular, silver-coloured packets bearing retail labels of ‘Freeze Dried Monthong Durian’. Each packet was lined with two layers of vacuum-sealed black polythene, apparently to conceal the contents and mask their detection.
On opening the packets, officers found yellowish-green dried floral tops emitting a strong pungent odour. Preliminary testing using a narcotic drug field testing kit confirmed the substance to be hydroponic cannabis, also known as marijuana or ganja.
The entire consignment, weighing 10.642kg, along with the packaging material, was seized under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
The passenger was arrested and produced before a judicial magistrate, who remanded him to judicial custody till November 18.
Customs officials said further investigation was underway to identify the network involved in the smuggling attempt. The seizure also brought to light a method of concealing narcotics in commercial food packaging to evade detection.
