Rs.20 Crore Ganja Seized at Ahmedabad Airport in Major Smuggling Crackdown

Ahmedabad | Gujarat — Ahmedabad International Airport has once again emerged as a flashpoint in the battle against international drug trafficking, with customs officials seizing more than 20 kg of ganja worth over ₹20 crore in a midnight operation. The seizure has intensified concerns that the airport is being targeted as a transit point for narcotics smuggling networks.

According to officials, the operation was carried out after specific intelligence inputs were received by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI). Acting swiftly, the Air Intelligence Unit of Customs maintained strict surveillance on passengers arriving on a Thai Airways flight from Bangkok in the early hours of the 21st.

During routine baggage checks, officers recovered 19 sealed packets containing a green, dry plant-like substance from a passenger’s trolley bag. Subsequent testing confirmed it was ganja weighing approximately 20.366 kg.

A senior customs officer involved in the operation said, “The alertness of our teams and timely intelligence helped us intercept a major narcotics consignment that was part of an international trafficking chain.”

The accused, identified as Agat Shrivastava from Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, was arrested under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. Officials confirmed that he had travelled from Delhi to Bangkok before returning to Ahmedabad, and was allegedly planning to move the consignment onward to Delhi.

Preliminary interrogation revealed that the accused had received the contraband in Bangkok from unknown contacts. Authorities have now handed him over to the DRI for detailed investigation to trace the wider network behind the operation.

Another official noted, “This is not an isolated case. We are seeing repeated attempts to route foreign-origin cannabis consignments through Ahmedabad, indicating an organised smuggling pattern.”

In recent weeks, the airport has witnessed multiple high-value drug seizures, including heroin and ganja cases, highlighting an increasing challenge for enforcement agencies.