Overview
- Between February 11 and 17, customs officers intercepted 24.361 kg of suspected hydroponic weed and arrested six passengers who all arrived from Bangkok; three gold seizures totaling 1,336.62 grams were also reported.
- The week’s detections were made through spot checks, APIS-based profiling and specific intelligence, with contraband concealed in trolley bags.
- Through April 2025 to January 2026, Mumbai Airport Customs booked 207 NDPS cases, arrested 249 people and seized 1,113.29 kg of narcotics valued at about Rs 1,217.9 crore, including 1,101.56 kg of hydroponic weed and 11.626 kg of cocaine.
- Hydroponic cannabis has emerged as the principal contraband with Thailand identified as a key source, and investigations note syndicates recruiting families, seniors and women who now constitute roughly a quarter of booked carriers.
- Customs detail evolving concealment tactics such as fake diplomatic pouch markings, misleading baggage tags and stuffing drugs into consumer goods, along with cocaine smuggling by ingestion, including a 61-year-old Ugandan carrying 866 grams internally and an airline crew member caught with 5.194 kg.