Pune Airport Drug Bust: Customs Seizes Hydroponic Weed Worth Rs 44.27 Lakh
Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Viman Nagar, 20th October 2026: Pune Customs officials seized 1.265 kg of hydroponic weed, estimated to be worth Rs 44.27 lakh in the illicit market, from an Indian passenger arriving from Bangkok at Pune International Airport on October 19.
The passenger was intercepted by officers of the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) and the Airport Batch of Pune Customs after arriving on Air India Express flight IX-241, according to a press note issued by Pune Customs on October 20.
The interception followed passenger profiling and routine X-ray screening of check-in baggage.
During a detailed examination of the passenger’s black trolley bag, officials found two specially designed concealed compartments inside the side linings, beneath his personal belongings. On cutting open the inner lining, they recovered two rectangular, slab-shaped, vacuum-sealed, multilayered plastic packets containing a yellowish-green dried floral substance.
Preliminary field tests confirmed the substance to be marijuana, also known as ganja or hydroponic weed, the press note stated.
The 1.265 kg consignment was seized under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
The passenger was arrested in accordance with legal procedures and produced before the competent judicial magistrate, who subsequently remanded him to judicial custody.
Further investigation is underway to identify the source of the contraband and trace the supply chain, including its backward and forward linkages, Pune Customs said.
