Pune Customs Seizes Hydroponic Weed Worth ₹44.27 Lakh at Pune Airport, Passenger Arrested
Pune Customs officials have seized 1.265 kg of hydroponic weed worth approximately ₹44.27 lakh from an Indian passenger arriving from Bangkok at Pune International Airport in Lohegaon. The passenger was arrested and remanded to judicial custody.
The seizure was made on October 19, 2026, by officers of the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) in coordination with the Airport Batch of Pune Customs. The details were officially released on October 20.
The passenger was travelling on Air India Express flight IX-241 from Bangkok. Officials intercepted him following advanced passenger profiling and routine X-ray screening of check-in luggage.
During the inspection, officers discovered two specially constructed concealed cavities beneath the side linings of a black check-in trolley bag. After cutting open the inner lining, they recovered two rectangular, slab-shaped, vacuum-sealed, multilayered plastic packets containing 1.265 kg of hydroponic weed.
The seized substance, a high-grade form of cannabis, was valued at approximately ₹44.27 lakh in the illicit market.
The contraband was seized under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. The passenger was arrested, produced before a Judicial Magistrate and remanded to judicial custody.
Pune Customs is investigating the source of the contraband, its intended destination and the backward and forward linkages of the drug trafficking network.
The department reiterated its commitment to maintaining strict vigilance at international entry points to combat drug trafficking.
