Customs and law enforcement struck gold—or rather, shattered a drug ring—at Ahmedabad’s international airport Sunday, confiscating hybrid marijuana worth Rs 12.5 crore and nabbing four suspects. The operation targeted a Bangkok-Ahmedabad flight based on tips of narcotics smuggling from Southeast Asia.
Passengers underwent rigorous inspections, yielding suspicious luggage from four men: one Vadodara local and three from Punjab. Deep searches uncovered high-grade hybrid weed, stashed in plastic wraps—a strain exponentially stronger and pricier than standard varieties, fully prohibited in India.
Market estimates peg the bust at Rs 12.5 crore. Initial probes point to distribution networks feeding India’s bustling metros, where demand for elite narcotics is booming. The team is now chasing digital footprints, bank flows, and global ties to dismantle the operation.
An NDPS Act FIR has been filed, drugs forwarded for lab scrutiny, and central intel units looped in for deeper dives into syndicate links. This marks yet another win in Ahmedabad’s anti-drug campaign, building on recent triumphs like the Rs 8 crore hydroponic cannabis from Bangkok and a 3.9 kg precursor bust.
As international flight-based trafficking intensifies, the airport is bolstering its defenses with sharper vigilance and proactive intel, vowing to choke off these illicit pipelines.