In a major anti-narcotics operation, the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Chennai Airport Customs seized 23 kilograms of high-grade hydroponic ganja valued at approximately ₹23 crore in the illicit market and arrested six youths from Kerala for allegedly smuggling the contraband from Thailand through two separate passenger flights.
Hydroponic ganja is a high-potency cannabis variant grown in a soil-free system using nutrient-rich water solutions.
Acting on specific intelligence, AIU officers mounted surveillance on passengers arriving from Bangkok earlier this week.
On Thursday, 5 February 2026, officers intercepted four Kerala-based youths who had travelled to Thailand as tourists and were returning to India. During baggage checks, officials recovered 15 kg of hydroponic ganja concealed inside packaged food items and chocolate packets. The seized contraband was valued at ₹15 crore in the illicit market. All four were arrested.
In a follow-up operation in the early hours of Friday, 6 February 2026, officers intercepted two more Kerala-based youths arriving from Bangkok on another passenger flight. Searches of their luggage led to the recovery of 8 kg of hydroponic ganja hidden inside packaged food packets. This seizure was valued at ₹8 crore. Both accused were taken into custody.
The total haul across the two operations stood at 23 kg, with an estimated combined illicit market value of ₹23 crore.
Sources said preliminary investigations revealed that all six accused are graduates, including some with engineering backgrounds, and were allegedly acting as couriers for an international drug syndicate.
It is claimed that economic distress or lack of lucrative employment opportunities may have motivated the accused were mentioned in source inputs but have not been officially confirmed by customs authorities.
This is a showcase of everything going wrong in kerala
Educated but unemployed
High level of materialism
Quick buck syndrome
Wants money without hardwork pic.twitter.com/KXcx7IqWuP— Mac (@pattaazhy) February 9, 2026
Hydroponic ganja is cultivated without soil using nutrient-rich water solutions, a method known to produce high-potency marijuana with elevated THC levels. Such variants command significantly higher prices in illicit markets compared to conventional cannabis.
While Indian law does not differentiate between cannabis types, its higher potency increases its value for traffickers.
Officials indicated that trafficking through Southeast Asian routes, particularly Bangkok, has figured in multiple recent cases. Thailand’s legal cannabis market has been cited in enforcement inputs as a factor traffickers exploit to move drugs into India through passenger routes.
Recent enforcement actions include seizures at other Indian airports, including a case at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport where over 27 kg of similar contraband was recovered in a separate intelligence-led operation.
All six accused have been booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Authorities said further investigation is under way to identify the wider network involved. Agencies are examining travel histories, financial transactions, mobile phone data, and communication records to trace links to larger domestic and international drug syndicates.
Source: Matrubhumi English
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