Ahmedabad: The customs department has filed an FIR against Ravi Patel, a resident of the Chandlodia area, for allegedly smuggling ganja (cannabis) from Thailand. The matter came to light after customs officials discovered the narcotics concealed among chocolates and snacks in a parcel sent from the Southeast Asian country.The foreign parcel, addressed to Patel, was intercepted by customs officials at the Foreign Post Office (FPO) in Ahmedabad during routine scanning.“The pouches inside the parcel contained a leaf-like product with a strong smell, which was suspected to be ganja based on appearance and odour,” stated the complaint filed with the city crime branch.According to the FIR filed by customs superintendent Nafisa Mansuri, officers found 11 black pouches hidden among regular food items inside the package. “Upon opening, all pouches were found to contain a homogeneous leafy substance. The seized material was sealed and sent for forensic testing, which confirmed it as ganja on July 2,” the complaint noted.Following forensic confirmation, the case was formally handed over to the Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) for further investigation under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.Officials suspect the consignment was intended to bypass scrutiny by posing as a regular food shipment. Investigators are now tracing the origin of the parcel, the payment trail, and any possible links to a local or international drug network.While Patel has been booked under relevant provisions of the NDPS Act, he has not yet been arrested. The DCB is currently probing whether the incident is part of a larger racket using international postal services to smuggle drugs into the country.
