Suspected ganja worth ₹2.12 crore seized by Customs at the Kochi airport.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The air intelligence unit of the Customs at the Cochin International Airport, Nedumbassery, on Monday recovered over 4.2 kg of what appeared to be ganja which is believed to be valued at ₹2.12 crore in the narcotics trade from a passenger who arrived from Bangkok.
The passenger, Vaishak Mohanan, a native of Thiruvananthapuram, was arrested and produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate, Angamaly. He was remanded in 14 days custody at the sub-jail in Aluva.
A Customs official said the passenger who arrived on Thai Airways Flight no. TG 347 was intercepted based on profiling and an examination of his check-in baggage led to the recovery of nine plastic covers containing a dried plant bud in green colour suspected to be ganja.
An official said this was packaged along with chocolates and other food items to dodge detection. Further inquiry is under way to unearth the network involved in the crime.
The official added that it was rare for smugglers to bring in ganja from abroad and that the officials were able to detect it thanks to heightened vigil
The service of the Customs department’s K9 dog Janu was used in the operation.
Published – September 30, 2024 07:57 pm IST
