Customs foils bid to smuggle hybrid ganja at Kochi airport

KOCHI: In a major drug bust, the Commissionerate of Customs (Preventive) unit has foiled an attempt to smuggle 5.5kg of hybrid ganja through the Kochi airport and arrested Malappuram native Shibu A K. The accused was scheduled to fly to Ras-Al-Khaimah in UAE on Thursday.

Acting on a tip-off, the officers intercepted Shibu at the airport’s departure hall. The ganja was found concealed in 12 packets inside his trolley bag.

The seized drug is valued at approximately Rs 5.5 crore. Customs officials suspect that Shibu was acting as a carrier for a narcotics network trafficking drugs to the UAE. Investigators revealed that the hybrid ganja had been sourced from Bangkok and was being smuggled to the UAE, where it commands a higher price. “This is the first time a person has been arrested for attempting to smuggle hybrid ganja out of Kerala to a foreign country. It points to the existence of a drug trafficking network operating from the state,” a customs officer said.

Typically, hybrid ganja seizures at the airport involve passengers arriving from Bangkok.

Shibu was produced before the court and remanded to judicial custody. Customs officials plan to seek his custody for a detailed interrogation.