Ahmedabad airport turns into smuggling ‘hub’: gold worth ₹257.42 crore seized in 5 years

Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPI) has increasingly become a hub for smugglers, with frequent cases of gold and drug seizures being reported. 

Over the last five years, Customs officials have seized 465.36 kg of gold worth ₹257.42 crore from the airport. Officials say this is only the tip of the iceberg; the actual amount of gold successfully smuggled in could be much higher.

According to the data, during 2024-25 alone, 88.52 kg of gold worth ₹67.46 crore was seized from the airport. This made Ahmedabad the sixth-highest airport in the country in terms of gold seizures during the period. Mumbai airport topped the list with gold worth ₹447 crore seized in the same period.

Customs officials said smugglers constantly try new tricks to sneak in gold, forcing them to remain extra vigilant. Officers closely monitor suspicious passengers, and even the slightest unusual movement often leads to immediate checks, where many are caught red-handed with smuggled gold. The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) also helps in profiling passengers and sharing intelligence with Customs. Records of the number of foreign trips by passengers are also maintained.

To deal with the rise in smuggling cases, additional staff have been deployed at the airport. Two new state-of-the-art baggage screening machines have been installed, taking the total number of such scanners at the airport to seven. These are used to thoroughly check hand baggage through both the green and red channels, with the support of the AIU.