Mumbai Customs Seize 24 Kg Hydroponic Weed Worth Rs 24 Crore at Airport; 9 Passengers Arrested

Mumbai Customs officials attached to the Airport Commissionerate, Customs Zone–III, registered multiple cases between December 23 and December 29, 2025, leading to the seizure of narcotics, gold, medicines and foreign currency from incoming international passengers.

Acting on profiling inputs, Customs officers recovered a total of 24.003 kg of suspected narcotic substance, identified as hydroponic weed, from four passengers arriving from Bangkok on different flights. The seized contraband is estimated to be worth approximately ₹24.003 crore in the illicit market. Four separate cases were registered in this connection and all the passengers were arrested under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

In another operation based on specific intelligence, Customs officials seized 15.983 kg of suspected hydroponic weed from five passengers who had arrived from Bangkok. The seizure was made under four cases and the narcotics are valued at around ₹15.983 crore in the illegal market. All the accused passengers were arrested under the NDPS Act, 1985.

Apart from narcotics seizures, Customs officials also booked a gold smuggling case in which 233 grams of 24-carat gold, valued at ₹29.72 lakh, was recovered from a passenger. In a separate case, medicines worth ₹58.54 lakh were seized from two passengers. Additionally, in four different cases, foreign currency equivalent to ₹1.65 crore was seized from six passengers during the same period.

Further investigation is underway in all the cases.