Surat: Yet another seizure of hydroponic cannabis (ganja) was made from a flyer arriving from Bangkok by officers of the air intelligence unit (AIU) of customs and the directorate of revenue intelligence (DRI) at Surat International Airport. The passenger, Adilnavaj Shaikh, who arrived on an Air India Express flight on Thursday, was arrested.On being produced in court on Friday, Shaikh, a resident of Bharuch, was sent into judicial custody.Acting on specific intelligence provided by the DRI, the authorities thoroughly searched Shaikh’s baggage. The inspection revealed 24 packets of a green substance, vacuum-sealed in transparent polythene, weighing a total of 1.68 kilograms. Preliminary testing by the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory (RFSL) confirmed the substance to be cannabis, worth an estimated Rs 1.50 crore.Shaikh admitted his involvement in smuggling the prohibited narcotic drug and was arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Shaikh said he was being paid Rs 12,000 for the trip, while the person who sent him had paid for his airfare and stay in Bangkok.The contraband was packed into small transparent plastic pouches. The pouches were packed inside non-transparent plastic packets of vacuum-dried fruits and other food items. Shaikh was stopped for checking based on specific intelligence and the pouches were found.Shaikh said he worked as a carrier while the contraband was handed over to him by a person in Bangkok. It is yet to be investigated who was to receive the cannabis here.
