Ahmedabad: A customs sniffer dog at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International (SVPI) Airport has helped officials bust a drug trafficking operation. The dog flagged a passenger’s luggage containing 10.9kg of hydroponic marijuana, valued at more than Rs 10 crore on the illicit market, sources said.The passenger, a 20-year-old from Junagadh, had arrived from Bangkok on an international flight and concealed the drugs in his checked-in baggage.“During examination of the baggage, the sniffer dog gave a positive indication about the presence of narcotic drugs. Based on the baggage tag, officers of the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) at Ahmedabad airport identified and intercepted the passenger,” an official said.The marijuana was hidden in five silver polythene packets. A field kit tested the greenish substance and returned a positive result. The contraband was seized under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and an investigation is under way, officials said.It is the latest seizure of hydroponic cannabis at the airport. Grown without soil, with roots suspended in a nutrient-rich water solution, the variety is more potent and commands far higher prices than conventional cannabis, experts said. Several similar busts have occurred at the airport over the past six months.
