Mumbai: The Mumbai Airport Customs officials have arrested a man who had arrived from Bangkok for allegedly smuggling Hydroponic Weed having an illicit market value of approximately Rs 14.73 crores. The accused was attempting to smuggle drugs by falsely declaring the consignment as Confidential Diplomatic Cargo linked to national security.
The contraband was concealed inside envelopes bearing Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) markings and sealed with official MEA tape. The bag also contained copies of various United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reports and fake top Secret Mission Reports, kept inside the trolley bag carried by the passenger, officials said on Sunday.
According to the Customs sources, on the basis of specific intelligence, the Customs officers at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMI), Mumbai, intercepted one passenger arriving from Bangkok on Sunday. During the examination of the baggage, the Customs officers recovered 14.738 kg of suspected Hydroponic Weed (Marijuana), with an illicit market value of approximately Rs 14.738 crores.
"The passenger was attempting to smuggle narcotic substances Hydroponic Weed by falsely declaring the consignment as Confidential Diplomatic Cargo linked to national security. The contraband was concealed inside envelopes bearing Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) markings and sealed with official MEA tape. The bag also contained copies of various UNODC reports and fake top Secret Mission Reports and these were kept inside the trolley bag carried by the passengers. The said passenger has been arrested under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act," said a Customs official.
The agency officials are now probing from where the accused had sourced envelopes bearing MEA markings and official MEA tape. The Customs officials are also probing who had provided marijuana to the accused in Bangkok and who was supposed to receive the said consignment in Mumbai.
