Indian customs officials seized a large quantity of hydroponic cannabis at a Kerala airport, leading to the arrest of two doctors allegedly involved in an international drug smuggling operation.
Key Points
- Customs officials in Kerala seized hydroponic cannabis valued at Rs 1.86 crore at Thiruvananthapuram airport.
- Two doctors, alumni of Wuhan University, have been arrested in connection with the hydroponic cannabis smuggling operation.
- One doctor arriving from Singapore was caught with the contraband, while another arriving from Bangkok is implicated.
- Customs officials intensified checks on passengers from Bangkok due to frequent hydroponic cannabis seizures.
Customs unit at the airport here has seized hydroponic cannabis worth Rs 1.86 crore and arrested a passenger in this connection, officials said on Friday.
The contraband was seized on Thursday from Libin Das (27), a native of Kannur, who had arrived from Singapore, officials said.
Further investigation revealed the alleged involvement of another passenger, Anand Jeyaprakash (34) from Kollam, who had travelled from Bangkok.
According to officials, Anand had allegedly asked Libin to collect his baggage at the airport to avoid detection by customs authorities, as he was arriving from Bangkok.
Customs had intensified checks on passengers arriving from Bangkok following frequent seizures of hydroponic cannabis, officials said.
Both the accused are reportedly doctors who studied at Wuhan University in China, officials said. Libin Das has been arrested and remanded to judicial custody.
Officials of the Customs Preventive Division said further searches and investigations are underway in the case.
They also cautioned passengers against carrying baggage for others under any circumstances.
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