Cannabis worth Rs 7 crore seized at Hyderabad airport

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence seized over 7 kg of hydroponic cannabis, valued at approximately Rs 7 crore, from two Indian nationals arriving from Bangkok at Hyderabad airport.

In Short

• DRI seized cannabis valued at Rs 7 crore in Hyderabad
• The cannabis was hidden in cereal boxes in luggage
• Both passengers were arrested under NDPS Act

Cannabis, weighing a little over 7 kg and worth about Rs 7 crore, was seized by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) at Hyderabad international airport on Thursday, October 31.

The DRI officials, acting on specific intelligence, intercepted two Indian nationals arriving from Bangkok on Thursday night. Detailed inspection of their checked-in luggage revealed 13 vacuum-sealed transparent packets hidden within cereal boxes.

Officials found a green, sticky substance inside the sealed packets which tested positive for cannabis. The seized material, weighing 7.096 kg, was identified as hydroponic cannabis, a potent form of marijuana grown using water-based systems.

The passengers were subsequently arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and remanded to judicial custody. Further investigations are underway.

The raid at the airport came a day after officials from Telangana’s Drugs Control Administration and Prohibition and Excise Department uncovered an illegal drug network in the city.

On Wednesday, officials raided GV Saluja Hospital in Secunderabad and found large quantities of controlled substances, including fentanyl, ketamine hydrochloride, pentazocine, and midazolam injections. Officials noted these drugs were stored without the required NDPS licence for legal possession and sale.

Another raid was conducted last week by the Cyberabad police, along with the special operations team and excise officials, at a businessman’s farmhouse in Janwada, near Hyderabad. They seized a large amount of drugs and foreign liquor, allegedly served without a licence.

The police and excise officials acted on a tip-off and searched the farmhouse, allegedly linked to former Telangana minister KT Rama Rao. They found seven imported liquor bottles, amounting to 10.5 l, and ten bottles of Indian-made liquor, all allegedly served without a licence, police said.