Hydroponic weed worth Rs 14 crore seized at Mumbai airport; 2 passengers arrested

Mumbai, Sep 8 (PTI) The Customs department has seized hydroponic weed weighing 13.83 kgs and having an illicit market value of approximately Rs 13.83 crore in the last two days at the Mumbai airport, an official said on Monday.

According to the official, two air passengers have been arrested in connection with the seizures of the contraband in different cases.

The narcotic substance was cleverly concealed inside checked-in trolley bags carried by the passengers, he stated.

In the first case, 2.002 kgs of hydroponic weed (marijuana), having an illicit market value of about Rs 2.002 crore, were recovered from the baggage of a passenger who arrived at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) from Bangkok on Sunday, he informed.

In the second case on Monday, another passenger, who had also arrived from the Thailand capital, was found carrying 11.834 kgs of hydroponic weed, having an illicit market value of approximately Rs 11.834 crore, in his baggage, the official said.

Both passengers were arrested and booked under relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, he added.

Hydroponic weed, a potent form of marijuana, is cultivated using water-based, nutrient-rich solutions instead of traditional soil methods. PTI ZA RSY