Chennai: In a sensational drugs recovery, the Customs officials at the Chennai International Airport on Thursday Feb 22 recovered 14 kg of processed high-grade cannabis from an unclaimed bag part of air cargo from a Thai Airways flight, sources said. It is learnt that the Thai Airways passenger flight from Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, arrived at the Chennai International Airport early yesterday.
An official said that the Thai customs officials had intimated their Indian counterparts that there were drugs in the suitcase of a passenger on the flight. Following the inputs, the Customs Head Office in Delhi informed the Chennai airport customs officials. Accordingly, Chennai airport customs officials engaged in intensive surveillance in the arrival area of Chennai International Airport on Thursday morning.
Sources said that in the subsequent operation, Chennai airport customs officials opened the suitcase, as none of the passengers claimed the suitcase mentioned by the Thai customs officials while actively monitoring the conveyor belt area where the luggage of the Thai Airways passengers arrived. As the Customs officials opened the suitcase, it was found carrying 14 kg of processed high-grade cannabis known as hydroponic cannabis.
The international value of the recovered drug is said to be around Rs 7 crore. Following the recovery, the Chennai airport customs officials seized the high-grade ganja and launched an investigation on the basis of the tag found attached to the suitcase.
Preliminary investigation by the the Customs officials revealed that that the suitcase belonged to a passenger from Puducherry state. It was also revealed that he left the suitcase at the airport without taking it, sensing that the authorities would arrest him. The Chennai airport Customs officials have registered a case in this regard and are examining the CCTV footage at Chennai airport to zero in on the passenger.
