Cocaine, hydroponic ganja worth Rs 8 crore seized at airport

CHENNAI: Customs officials seized cocaine and hydroponic ganja worth nearly Rs 8 crore in separate incidents involving international passengers at the airport.

In the first case, acting on specific intelligence, Chennai air Customs intercepted a woman from Zambia on March 26. The woman arrived on an Emirates Airlines flight from Senegal via Dubai.

During a search, officials recovered 460g 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. The total quantity of cocaine seized amounted to 610g, with an estimated value of 6.1 crore. The passenger was arrested and remanded in judicial custody.

In another operation on April 1, an Indian man arriving from Bangkok on an Indigo Airlines flight was intercepted following specific intelligence inputs.

Upon examining his check-in baggage, officials recovered 1.82kg of hydroponic ganja concealed in silver packaging. The estimated value of the seized contraband is approximately 1.8 crore.

The passenger was arrested and presented before the Judicial Magistrate under the NDPS Act and was sent to jail.