Ahmedabad: The city police’s special operations group (SOG) seized 22.78kg of hybrid cannabis worth Rs 7.97 crore near Noble Nagar on Wednesday evening and arrested a brother-sister duo allegedly linked to an interstate drug network with Thailand connections. The total value of the seized items, including a car and mobile phones, was estimated at Rs 8.01 crore, according to a complaint filed with the Detection of Crime Branch (DCB). Acting on a specific input, the SOG team intercepted a car near Prem Prakash Ashram on the Chiloda-Airport stretch around 4.30pm. The vehicle was stopped and searched in the presence of independent witnesses. Police found three cloth bags on the rear seat containing 26 sealed packets of suspected contraband. On opening the packets, officers found a greenish-brown plant-based substance with a distinct smell. A forensic science laboratory (FSL) officer conducted a preliminary test at the SOG office and confirmed that the substance appeared to be hybrid cannabis. The entire contraband was weighed on a digital scale and found to be 22.78kg. The arrested accused were identified as Chetan Prajapati, 28, a native of Rajsamand district in Rajasthan, and his sister, Jiya Prajapati, 34, originally from Chittorgarh, Rajasthan, and currently residing in the city. Police also recovered three mobile phones, an Indian passport in the woman’s name, and the car used for transportation. During questioning, Jiya allegedly told police that she travelled to Bangkok in Nov 2025, where she came in contact with two persons who later asked her to arrange carriers to bring hybrid cannabis to India. Four men from Rajasthan were allegedly sent to Bangkok in Jan 2026. One of them was caught at Mumbai airport with a bag of contraband, while the remaining three allegedly handed over the consignment to the siblings. Police said the seized stock was meant for sale in the city. The DCB registered an offence under sections of the NDPS Act for possession, trafficking, and criminal conspiracy. Further investigation is underway to trace other members of the network.Thailand link and airport arrest Police officers said that four men from Rajasthan were allegedly sent to Bangkok to collect the consignment. On Jan 9, one of them was caught at Mumbai airport with a bag containing contraband and is currently in jail. The remaining three allegedly delivered the stock to the siblings in Gujarat. Police are verifying travel records and examining digital evidence to trace the foreign supply chain.What is hybrid cannabis? Hybrid cannabis is a modified strain of marijuana cultivated to enhance potency. Compared to traditional cannabis, hybrid variants often contain higher levels of psychoactive compounds and fetch a higher price in the illegal market. Police sources said the seized 22.78kg consignment was valued at Rs 7.97 crore based on prevailing black-market rates. The packaging in sealed plastic parcels indicated organised trafficking. Officials said such consignments are typically broken into smaller quantities for distribution to local peddlers before reaching end users in urban areas.
