Cocaine, ganja, gold worth Rs 14.76 cr seized at airport, a Cabin crew and 3 pax arrested

Chennai: In in three different incidents, officials of the Customs Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) have seized cocaine, ganja and gold totally valued at Rs 14.76 crore and arrested four people, including an Air India Cabin crew member and three passengers at the Anna International airport here.

Among those arrested was a Kenyan woman passenger.

A PIB release on Tuesday said 1,424 gms of cocaine worth Rs 14.2 crore was seized from a Kenyan woman passenger, 7.6 kg of hydroponic ganja valued at Rs 76 lakh was seized from a male passenger and in the third incident, 1.7 kg gold was seized from a Cabin crew member and a passenger.

Based on specific intelligence, a Kenyan female passenger, who arrived in Chennai from Addis Ababa by an Ethiopian Airlines was intercepted by the AIU officers.

On search of her person, she egested 90 cylindrical hyperdense objects with medical assistance. These objects tested positive for cocaine, a psychotropic substance covered under the NDPS Act, 1985.

A total of 1,424 grams of cocaine were recovered from her possession which are valued in illicit market around Rs 14.2 crores.

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The passenger was arrested and subsequently produced before the Judicial Magistrate under the NDPS Act and remanded in judicial custody.

In the second seizure, acting on specific intelligence, the AIU officials intercepted an Indian male passenger who arrived from Bangkok on Indigo Airlines Flight. Upon search, of his check-in baggage 7.6 kg of hydroponic ganja approximately valued at Rs. 76 lakh in illicit market werefound concealed in food packaging.

The passenger was arrested and subsequently produced before the Judicial Magistrate under the NDPS Act and remanded in judicial custody.

In the third incident, again acting on a specific intelligence, officers of the AIU intercepted a cabin crew member of Air India and a passenger who arrived by an Air India flight from Dubai.

The passenger had admitted of handing over the gold to cabin crew member inside the flight.

A search resulted in recovery of 1.7 kg of 24 carat gold in compound form, concealed in the undergarments of the cabin crew.

Customs officials had registered a case and both the cabin crew member and the passenger were arrested and were remanded in judicial custody.

Detailed investigation is underway.