Customs seize 7 kg hydroponic ganja worth ₹7 lakh at Surat airport, 4 arrested

Customs officials at Surat International Airport seized nearly seven kilograms of hydroponic ganja from an international flight arriving from Bangkok and arrested four passengers in connection with the smuggling attempt, officials said.

The seizure on Friday followed an alert raised by the security in-charge of Air India Express flight IX-263, operating on the Bangkok–Surat sector, who informed Customs authorities about the presence of suspicious packets concealed inside the backrest cushion covers of several seats on the aircraft.

Acting swiftly on the information, officers of Customs carried out a thorough rummaging of the aircraft, conducting a seat-by-seat search. During the exercise, they recovered seven vacuum-packed polythene packets containing a greenish substance, concealed inside the backrest cushion covers of seat numbers 24A, 24B, 25A and 25B.

The recovered substance weighed 6,933.56 grams (approximately 6.93 kg). Preliminary testing confirmed that the material was hydroponic ganja (cannabis) worth ₹6.9 lakh market value.

Following the recovery, Customs officers intercepted four passengers suspected to be linked to the concealment of the contraband. During sustained questioning, all four admitted their involvement in the offence, officials added.

The seized narcotic substance was taken into custody under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. The four accused were formally arrested and are expected to be produced before the competent court.

Customs officials said further investigation is under way to ascertain the source of the hydroponic ganja, the intended recipients, and whether the smuggling attempt is part of a larger international drug trafficking network. They added that security and surveillance measures at Surat International Airport have been intensified, particularly on international routes, to curb the inflow of narcotics concealed through innovative methods.