Customs, DRI Crack Major International Narcotics Operations Across Indian Airports

India’s international airports are witnessing a worrying rise in sophisticated narcotics smuggling attempts, with recent seizures in Delhi and Mumbai exposing the growing reach of global drug trafficking syndicates using air routes from Southeast Asia and Africa.

In one of the biggest drug recoveries at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport , Customs officials seized suspected hydroponic weed worth nearly ₹48 crore from two Thai nationals who arrived from Bangkok on May 22. Officials said the passengers were intercepted after crossing the Green Channel based on suspicious travel indicators and intelligence profiling.

During a detailed baggage examination, Customs officers recovered six vacuum-sealed packets containing around 47.8 kg of suspected hydroponic cannabis. Of the total seizure, nearly 29 kg was recovered from one passenger while about 19 kg was found in the baggage of the second accused.

Hydroponic weed is a high-potency form of cannabis cultivated using nutrient-rich water systems instead of soil. Due to its stronger psychoactive effects and premium demand in urban drug markets, the substance commands extremely high prices in the illegal market. Investigators say the Bangkok route has increasingly emerged as a major transit channel for hydroponic cannabis trafficking into India.

The Delhi seizure comes amid a broader crackdown by enforcement agencies on international narcotics networks. In Mumbai, the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) recently seized 2.25 kg of cocaine worth around ₹11.25 crore in two separate operations at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport .

On May 22, DRI officers intercepted a male and female passenger arriving from Addis Ababa . During interrogation, both admitted to swallowing drug-filled capsules to smuggle cocaine into India. They were shifted to a government hospital, where authorities recovered 84 capsules containing 1.40 kg of cocaine , valued at nearly ₹7 crore .

In another operation on May 19, officials intercepted two African nationals arriving from Addis Ababa and recovered 63 cocaine-filled capsules weighing 850 grams , estimated to be worth around ₹4.25 crore .

All four accused were arrested under the NDPS Act, 1985 . Officials believe the repeated use of Bangkok and Addis Ababa routes points to the growing involvement of organised international cartels using India both as a destination market and transit hub for narcotics trafficking.