Pune Airport Drug Bust: Methaqualone Worth Rs 2.61 Crore Seized From Bangkok Passenger
Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Viman Nagar, 20th September 2025: The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Pune Custom Commissionerate intercepted a major drug smuggling attempt at Pune International Airport on September 18, 2025. Officials seized 5.23 kilograms of Methaqualone, valued at approximately ₹2.61 crore in the illicit market, and arrested one passenger.
According to officials, acting on specific intelligence, AIU officers intercepted a passenger arriving from Bangkok on Air India Express flight IX-241. A search of the passenger’s check-in luggage revealed a white substance in powder and crystal form. Field testing confirmed the substance to be Methaqualone, a psychotropic drug prohibited under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
The contraband, weighing 5,234.70 grams, was seized and the passenger taken into custody. Authorities said further investigation is underway to trace the network behind the smuggling attempt.
