Chennai: A 25-year-old man, an Indian passenger, was arrested at Chennai International Airport after Customs officials found that he was carrying 4.076kg of suspected hydroponic ganja, valued at about ₹4 crore, from his checked-in baggage. He had arrived from Kuala Lumpur in the wee hours on Monday.Acting on specific intelligence about an attempt to smuggle narcotics into the country, officers of the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Chennai Customs kept passengers arriving from Kuala Lumpur under surveillance. During passenger profiling, officials identified a man whose responses during questioning raised suspicion.A detailed examination of the passenger’s checked-in baggage led to the recovery of four airtight packets wrapped in black polyfilm and concealed among his clothes. The packets contained 4,076kg of hydroponic ganja, which was confirmed by using a Narcotic Drug Detection Kit. Customs officials estimated the value of the seized contraband at ₹4 crore.During interrogation, the accused, a graduate, told investigators that he agreed to transport the narcotics after being recruited by a smuggling syndicate while unemployed. He said he agreed to be a courier for money. Customs officials are investigating the syndicate that organised the smuggling operation and financed the transportation of the contraband. He was arrested and remanded to judicial custody.
