Customs officials at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport have seized 15.38 kilograms of suspected hydroponic weed valued at approximately Rs 5.38 crore from two passengers arriving from Kuala Lumpur. The contraband was ingeniously concealed inside two brand-new geysers, officials said on Monday.
According to a statement issued by Customs authorities, the passengers were intercepted on June 7 after they crossed the green channel based on specific intelligence inputs and passenger profiling.
During the initial examination, officials noticed that the passengers were carrying two new geysers in addition to their regular checked-in baggage, prompting further scrutiny.
Subsequent interrogation and examination of the passengers’ mobile phone communications raised additional suspicions regarding the appliances. Customs officers then subjected the geysers to X-ray screening, which revealed unusual concealments within their structure.
A detailed dismantling of the appliances uncovered a sophisticated smuggling operation. Officials recovered 145 vacuum-sealed packets hidden inside the geysers.
The packets contained a green leafy substance suspected to be hydroponic weed, a high-potency form of cannabis cultivated in nutrient-rich water rather than soil.
“The total gross weight of the recovered narcotic substance was found to be 15.38 kg. The estimated illicit market value of the seized contraband is approximately Rs 5.38 crore,” the Customs statement said.
The suspected narcotic substance has been seized under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. Both passengers have been arrested.
Officials said investigations are continuing to identify the source and intended destination of the consignment and to determine whether the accused were acting independently or as part of a larger international drug-smuggling network.
The seizure is being viewed as a significant success for Customs authorities in their ongoing efforts to curb narcotics trafficking through India’s airports.
