Hydroponic weed worth Rs 24.66 crore seized from two passengers at airport

Customs officers seized 24.96 kilogrammes (kg) of hydroponic weed worth Rs 24.66 crore from two passengers Wednesday at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai.

The operation led to the arrest of two passengers and one receiver involved in the illicit activity.

Acting on specific intelligence, customs officers intercepted two passengers arriving from Bangkok and discovered the contraband from their luggage. The weed was concealed in vacuum-sealed packages.

Following the interception, a coordinated operation led to the apprehension of the intended receiver, who was waiting to collect the consignment. The three accused have been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

Preliminary investigations suggest the involvement of an international drug trafficking syndicate. Further investigation is underway to trace the network’s operations, the customs department said in a press release.

Mumbai: Beach clean-up leads to drug bust in Vasai

A Hungarian environmentalist stumbled upon a suspicious packet weighing about 1 kg during a Sunday clean-up drive at Bena Beach in Vasai. Wrapped in multiple layers of plastic, the packet emitted a telltale odour when opened, prompting the beach cleaner to suspect it was charas, a banned narcotic.

The environmentalist, Lisbon Ferrao, promptly handed over the packet to the Vasaigaon police, who registered a First Information Report (FIR) against unknown persons under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

“I found the packet while cleaning the beach with my team. It seemed suspicious due to its weight and wrapping. When I opened it and took a sniff, I suspected it was charas. I immediately handed it over to the police,” said Ferrao, who, along with his wife Zsuzsanna, has been conducting weekly beach clean-ups across Vasai taluka in Palghar.

A senior police officer confirmed the development. “We’ve received the packet and registered an FIR under the NDPS Act. Prima facie, it appears to be charas. We’ve sent it to the Crime Branch for investigation, and it will be forwarded for forensic analysis to determine the exact substance,” he said.

With no CCTV cameras installed along the beach, tracking the origin of the packet poses a challenge. “We will rely on our human intelligence network to investigate how the suspected contraband ended up on the beach,” the officer added. Ferrao believes the packet may have washed ashore after falling off a passing consignment, though he said, “The cops can investigate and find out the actual reason.”

This is not Ferrao’s first unusual find. In January 2022, he recovered a human skull and bones during a clean-up drive, which were later sent for forensic analysis. Then, in December 2022, he and his wife were shocked to find demonetised currency notes worth Rs 57,000 abandoned along the shoreline.

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