Smuggling hub: Hybrid ganja worth ₹150 cr seized in one month from Ahmedabad airport

In a significant crackdown on narcotics smuggling, authorities at Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport have seized an astonishing ₹150 crore worth of hybrid ganja over the past month. The Customs and DRI teams have arrested 15 peddlers in six separate cases, with all suspects hailing from outside Gujarat.

Intelligence agencies have since launched extensive profiling of these peddlers, gathering information on their movements and associates. Senior officials said this profiling would enable surveillance of suspected traffickers not only within India but also during their overseas trips.

Intelligence and profiling efforts

According to Customs sources, the peddlers were intercepted at the airport while arriving from Bangkok. Central agencies, including Air Intelligence Units, have been placed on high alert following the revelation that Thailand-based smugglers have been flooding the city with contraband.

These operations have also exposed links to local drug mafia networks. “We have identified a few key leads that are currently under investigation,” an official said. The Department’s profiling initiative is already yielding vital information, raising hopes that it will help curb further trafficking through the city.

A pattern of smuggling

Details from the investigations reveal a recurring pattern: traffickers arrive from Bangkok with large consignments of hybrid ganja, often using unsuspecting couriers. In one particularly telling incident, a young woman from Bangkok was caught with a consignment after her boyfriend arranged her trip to Gujarat under the guise of a holiday.

Case details

1. April 20: Two peddlers caught with 17.5 kg of ganja.

2. April 29: Four peddlers arrested with 37.2 kg of ganja.

3. May 2: Three peddlers held with 39.24 kg of ganja.

4. May 5: One peddler arrested with 19.72 kg of ganja.

5. May 6: Three peddlers caught with 12.56 kg of ganja.

6. May 20: Two peddlers arrested with 19.56 kg of ganja.

Exposing the modus operandi

Officials disclosed that drug mafias often share details of a single consignment to distract agencies, while simultaneously pushing through several other shipments undetected. This insight has raised alarms, prompting authorities to intensify scrutiny of incoming flights and passengers.

Smuggling and gold trafficking

Interestingly, this profiling initiative has roots in an earlier operation targeting gold smugglers. Two months ago, actress and IPS officer’s daughter Ranya Rao was arrested for allegedly masterminding gold smuggling worth crores. In that operation, 250 couriers were profiled, a practice now being adapted for drug traffickers as well.