Archive · 5 Oct 2026
Chennai Customs Seize 15.02 Kilograms of Ganja at Airport
Customs officers at Chennai airport stopped a passenger who had arrived from Bangkok.
They said he tried to leave without declaring what he was carrying.
A search of his checked baggage found 26 packets hidden inside Thai food packets.
The packets held a substance suspected to be hydroponically grown ganja.
Tests identified it as ganja or marijuana, and it weighed 15.02 kilograms.
Customs estimated its illicit-market value at about Rs 5.26 crore.
The drugs were seized under India’s NDPS Act.
The passenger was arrested and sent to judicial custody, and the investigation is continuing.
Customs also warned people to be wary of offers to carry unknown baggage in exchange for travel or money.
Chennai Customs officers intercepted a male passenger arriving from Bangkok on October 2.
The passenger attempted to leave through the Green Channel without declaring his baggage.
Officers found 26 airtight packets concealed inside Thai food packets in his checked baggage.
The packets weighed 15.02 kilograms and tested positive for ganja or marijuana.
The drugs, valued at approximately Rs 5.26 crore, were seized under the NDPS Act; the passenger was arrested and remanded to judicial custody.
- Who
- Chennai Customs officers intercepted a male passenger arriving from Bangkok.
- What
- Officers seized 15.02 kilograms of ganja concealed in 26 packets; the passenger was arrested.
- When
- The passenger arrived on October 2; Customs announced the seizure on Sunday, October 4.
- Where
- Chennai International Airport, Chennai, India.
- Why
- Officers acted based on passenger profiling; the articles do not state the passenger’s motive.
- Quantity
- 15.02 kilograms
- Packets
- 26 transparent airtight packets
- Concealment
- Inside Thai food packets
- Estimated illicit-market value
- Approximately Rs 5.26 crore
- Passenger route
- Bangkok to Chennai
- Drug test
- Tested positive for ganja/marijuana using a Narcotic Drug Detection Kit
- Legal action
- Seized under the NDPS Act; passenger arrested and remanded to judicial custody
- Investigation
- Further investigation is in progress
