Hydroponic Weed Worth Rs 4 Crore Seized at Bhubaneswar Airport, Two Held

Bhubaneswar: In a major crackdown on drug smuggling, officials of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and Customs seized around 11 kg of hydroponic weed worth nearly Rs 4 crore at the Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday morning.

According to sources, the contraband was allegedly being smuggled from Bangkok by two youths from Tamil Nadu who arrived in the city on an IndiGo flight. Acting on specific intelligence inputs, DRI and Customs officials launched a joint operation at the airport and intercepted the duo during inspection.

The accused have been detained and are currently being questioned by the investigating agencies to ascertain the source and intended destination of the narcotics.

Officials said hydroponic weed is a premium and highly potent variety of cannabis cultivated using advanced hydroponic techniques, making it significantly more expensive in the illegal market.

Further investigation is underway to trace the larger smuggling network linked to the case.