Delhi Airport customs seize 6.37 Kg Hydroponic weed, 3 passengers arrested

Customs officials at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport have arrested three passengers in separate drug smuggling cases after recovering 6.37 kg of suspected hydroponic weed concealed inside aircraft lavatories, beneath passenger seats and in baggage.

According to Customs, the three passengers had arrived from Bangkok and Phuket and were intercepted based on Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) profiling.

In the first case, an Indian passenger arriving from Bangkok was stopped after crossing the Green Channel. Although no contraband was found in the passenger's baggage, officers searched the aircraft and recovered 3.47 kg of suspected hydroponic weed hidden inside the rear lavatories. The passenger later admitted to concealing the packets there.

In the second case, Customs officials recovered 1.5 kg of suspected hydroponic weed hidden beneath seats in Row 12 of an aircraft arriving from Phuket. The passenger allegedly confessed to hiding the packets inside the aircraft.

In the third incident, another passenger arriving from Bangkok was intercepted after suspicious images were detected during baggage X-ray screening. A search led to the recovery of 1.4 kg of suspected hydroponic weed packed in two vacuum-sealed packets.

All three accused have been arrested under relevant provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, while the seized substance has been sent for further examination. The investigation is ongoing.