₹1.7 crore hybrid cannabis seized at Foreign Post Office in Ahmedabad

In a major win for Gujarat’s war against drugs, law enforcement officials seized 37 parcels containing more than 5 kg hybrid cannabis — worth ₹1.71 crore. The seizure came on August 10, following a joint operation involving the Ahmedabad Cyber Crime and Customs department at the Foreign Post Office in Ahmedabad’s Shahibaug area. 

The Ahmedabad Cyber Crime department has registered a case and launched an investigation.

The contraband was found hidden in food packets, toys, air purifiers, ladies' footwear and other items. Fourteen of the seized parcels were sent from the UK, 10 from the US, nine from Canada, two from Thailand and one from Spain, and were meant to be delivered to Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot, Vapi, Diu, and Daman. 

Officials said that the traffickers used fake names and addresses. In Ahmedabad, the parcels were set to be delivered to Bopal, Bodakdev, Amraiwadi, and Satellite areas.

Recurring issue

DCP Lavina Sinha and Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP, cybercrime) Hardik Makhdiya led the operation after Cyber Crime and Customs officers received information that suspicious parcels at the Foreign Post Office in Shahibaug contained drugs. 

However, this is hardly a new development. Two similar seizures in June yielded a combined 22 kg of the drug, worth a total of about ₹7 crore. 

Cyber Crime officials say this is a countrywide issue, with traffickers using the dark web, fake social media accounts, codes, and ever-changing IP addresses to conduct their business. 

Hybrid strains — typically a mix of sativa and indica strains, the two main types of cannabis plants — are often bred to have higher THC content, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis. The higher potency and varied effects can also increase risks associated with cannabis use.

Notably, cannabidiol (CBD) oil extracted from the hemp plant — which is legal in India, and has medicinal uses — does not contain THC. However, its import is highly controlled. 

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