Chennai Customs seizes 15.02 kg of hydroponic ganja hidden in Thai food packets
5 October 2026
Officers of the Air Intelligence Unit of Chennai Customs intercepted a male passenger who arrived at Chennai International Airport from Bangkok on 2 October 2026, acting on passenger profiling.
The passenger tried to leave through the Green Channel without making any declaration to Customs.
Examination of his checked-in baggage produced 26 transparent airtight packets of dried flowering and fruiting tops of a plant, concealed inside Thai food packets. The contraband is suspected to be high-grade hydroponically cultivated cannabis.
The net weight was 15.02 kilograms and the material tested positive for ganja using a Narcotic Drug Detection Kit. Its illicit market value is about Rs.5.26 Crores.
The seizure was made under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985; the passenger was arrested and remanded to judicial custody.
Chennai Customs warned young people against offers of sponsored foreign travel in return for carrying unknown baggage home.
In plain words
Green Channel — The airport exit lane meant for passengers who have nothing dutiable or prohibited to declare.
Air Intelligence Unit — The Customs team at an airport that works on intelligence and passenger profiling to spot smuggling.
Hydroponic cultivation — Growing plants in a nutrient solution instead of soil, often indoors under controlled light.