24-04-2025
Customs officials arrest 3 men, 2 women at Mumbai airport for smuggling weed worth Rs 30 crore from Bangkok
Customs department officials arrested three men and two women at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International airport in Mumbai in the past couple of days while they were trying to allegedly smuggle hydroponic weed worth around Rs 30 crore from Bangkok. All are residents of Mumbai and travelling on different flights.
Sources in the customs department said that based on reliable inputs, Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) officials nabbed Saat Rasta area resident Laxman Mhadik and Nalasopara resident Harsha Chheda and seized hydroponic weed from them on Wednesday. A total of 11,808 gram of weed worth Rs 11.8 crore was seized from Mhadik and Chheda.
In the second case, AIU officials intercepted Byculla residents Noor Bilakhia and Afrin Bilakhia during passenger profiling. They were found concealing nearly 12 kilogram of hydroponic weed worth around Rs 12 crore in their trolley bag.
Customs officials also caught Trombay resident Mohammed Shaikh. Examination of Shaikh's luggage led to the seizure of hydroponic weed worth Rs 5.90 crore.
The inquiry of suspects revealed that they were aware of the smuggling of narcotics and were offered hefty commissions by their handlers. Customs officials are trying to extract information on their handlers and also about the local contacts in Mumbai who were supposed to accept the deliveries of the smuggled contraband from them, a customs source said.
The arrested suspects face serious charges under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, as commercial quantities of drugs have been seized from them.
As per the Customs department, 1,000 gram of cannabis (weed) is specified as a small quantity, and any amount above it is considered a commercial quantity.
If proven guilty, they may attract 20 years of imprisonment, said another customs source.
Hydroponic weed refers to cannabis grown without the use of soil.
