Bangkok flyer arrested with Rs 6.5 crore ganja at Ahmedabad Airport
Customs officials at Ahmedabad airport arrested a passenger from Bangkok after seizing suspected hybrid marijuana from his baggage. Investigators are now tracing the consignment's recipient and possible links to a wider smuggling network.
Customs officers at Ahmedabad airport have seized hybrid marijuana worth more than Rs 6.5 crore from a passenger arriving from Bangkok. The accused was arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, officials said.
The seizure was made during the intervening night of May 16 and 17 after officers of the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) intercepted the passenger based on specific intelligence inputs and profiling.
According to the customs officials, the accused, an Indian national and resident of Raipur in Chhattisgarh, had arrived in Ahmedabad from Bangkok on Thai Airways flight TG-343. During a detailed baggage inspection, officers discovered six vacuum-sealed packets concealed inside a trolley bag.
The packets contained a green, dried plant-like substance which, upon examination, was identified as marijuana, commonly known as ganja. Officials said a total of 6.54 kilograms of the contraband was recovered during the operation.
The seized narcotics are estimated to have a market value exceeding Rs 6.5 crore. Authorities suspect the contraband to be hydroponic or hybrid marijuana, a high-grade variant of cannabis that has increasingly surfaced in smuggling cases across major Indian airports.
Customs officials said the passenger had allegedly attempted to smuggle the drugs into India by concealing them carefully inside his luggage using vacuum-sealed packaging.
Officials revealed that this was reportedly the passenger’s first international trip. Investigators are now questioning him to determine the intended recipient of the consignment and identify possible accomplices linked to the smuggling network.
Authorities said cases involving hydroponic marijuana smuggling have seen a rise at Ahmedabad International Airport in recent times despite strict legal provisions and severe punishment under narcotics laws.
This is not the first time Ahmedabad airport has been rocked by marijuana smuggling from Thailand. In December 2025, Gujarat Police busted an alleged drug distribution racket operating under the guise of luxury car movement near Ahmedabad and seized 432 grams of hybrid marijuana valued at around Rs 15.12 lakh, officials said.
According to investigators, the contraband was allegedly meant to be supplied at New Year rave parties. Police said the main accused, identified as Archit Agarwal, allegedly used his Mercedes car to transport the drugs after smuggling them in from Thailand.
Officials alleged that Agarwal would hand over the drug packets to his driver, Rahul Bhadoria, who then distributed them to buyers.
Further investigation is underway to trace the supply chain and establish whether the accused was acting independently or as part of a larger international drug trafficking syndicate.
Customs officers at Ahmedabad airport have seized hybrid marijuana worth more than Rs 6.5 crore from a passenger arriving from Bangkok. The accused was arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, officials said.
The seizure was made during the intervening night of May 16 and 17 after officers of the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) intercepted the passenger based on specific intelligence inputs and profiling.
According to the customs officials, the accused, an Indian national and resident of Raipur in Chhattisgarh, had arrived in Ahmedabad from Bangkok on Thai Airways flight TG-343. During a detailed baggage inspection, officers discovered six vacuum-sealed packets concealed inside a trolley bag.
The packets contained a green, dried plant-like substance which, upon examination, was identified as marijuana, commonly known as ganja. Officials said a total of 6.54 kilograms of the contraband was recovered during the operation.
The seized narcotics are estimated to have a market value exceeding Rs 6.5 crore. Authorities suspect the contraband to be hydroponic or hybrid marijuana, a high-grade variant of cannabis that has increasingly surfaced in smuggling cases across major Indian airports.
Customs officials said the passenger had allegedly attempted to smuggle the drugs into India by concealing them carefully inside his luggage using vacuum-sealed packaging.
Officials revealed that this was reportedly the passenger’s first international trip. Investigators are now questioning him to determine the intended recipient of the consignment and identify possible accomplices linked to the smuggling network.
Authorities said cases involving hydroponic marijuana smuggling have seen a rise at Ahmedabad International Airport in recent times despite strict legal provisions and severe punishment under narcotics laws.
This is not the first time Ahmedabad airport has been rocked by marijuana smuggling from Thailand. In December 2025, Gujarat Police busted an alleged drug distribution racket operating under the guise of luxury car movement near Ahmedabad and seized 432 grams of hybrid marijuana valued at around Rs 15.12 lakh, officials said.
According to investigators, the contraband was allegedly meant to be supplied at New Year rave parties. Police said the main accused, identified as Archit Agarwal, allegedly used his Mercedes car to transport the drugs after smuggling them in from Thailand.
Officials alleged that Agarwal would hand over the drug packets to his driver, Rahul Bhadoria, who then distributed them to buyers.
Further investigation is underway to trace the supply chain and establish whether the accused was acting independently or as part of a larger international drug trafficking syndicate.
