Officers of the Mumbai Customs Zone–III at the airport commissionerate made several significant seizures during enforcement operations conducted between March 3 and March 10, 2026, leading to the recovery of large quantities of hydroponic weed and gold from international passengers.
According to officials, the cases were detected through a combination of Spot Profiling and Advance Passenger Information System (APIS) profiling, as well as specific intelligence inputs.
During the week-long drive, customs officers booked four cases involving hydroponic weed, a high-grade variety of cannabis cultivated under controlled conditions.
In these cases, 12.031 kilograms of suspected hydroponic weed with an estimated illicit market value of about ₹12.03 crore was recovered from five passengers who had arrived from Bangkok. The passengers were subsequently arrested under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act).
In another case registered on the basis of specific intelligence, customs officers intercepted a passenger arriving from Bangkok and recovered 499 grams of suspected hydroponic weed valued at approximately ₹49.9 lakh in the illicit market. The passenger was also arrested under the NDPS Act.
Apart from narcotics, officers also detected three cases of gold smuggling during the same period.
A total of 409 grams of gold, valued at approximately ₹59.57 lakh, was recovered from three passengers in three separate cases. The gold was seized under the relevant provisions of the Customs Act, 1962, and further investigation is underway.
Officials stated that the cases were detected through targeted passenger profiling and intelligence-driven operations, highlighting the ongoing efforts of the airport customs formation to curb drug trafficking and gold smuggling through international routes.
The seizures form part of the intensified surveillance by Mumbai Customs Zone–III to prevent the misuse of international passenger channels for the smuggling of narcotics and precious metals.
Authorities indicated that further investigations are in progress to identify possible smuggling networks and international links behind these consignments.
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