NEW DELHI, June 8: Customs officials at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport have seized 15.38 kg of suspected hydroponic weed worth about Rs 5.38 crore concealed inside two geysers brought by passengers arriving from Kuala Lumpur, officials said on Monday.
Hydroponic weed is a high-potency variety of cannabis cultivated in nutrient-rich water instead of soil.
The two passengers were intercepted after crossing the green channel on June 7 on the basis of profiling and specific intelligence, an official statement said.
During examination, customs officers noticed that the passengers were carrying two brand-new geysers in addition to their checked-in baggage, a detail that triggered further scrutiny, the statement said.
Sustained interrogation of the passengers and examination of their mobile phone communications deepened suspicion about the appliances, it said.
The geysers were subsequently put through X-ray screening, which indicated the presence of something concealed within its structure.
A detailed dismantling of the geysers then revealed a sophisticated concealment mechanism. Customs officers recovered 145 vacuum-sealed packets stuffed inside the appliances, according to the statement.
The packets were found to contain a green leafy substance suspected to be hydroponic weed (ganja).
“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 statement said.
The suspected narcotic substance has been seized under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, while both passengers have been arrested.
Officials said further investigations are underway to determine the source and destination of the consignment and to ascertain whether the accused were part of a larger drug-smuggling network. (PTI)
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