In a major drug smuggling bust, the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of the Customs Department arrested Mohammed Shareef, a native of Kerala, on Saturday night at Mumbai’s international airport. The 3 kilograms of hydroponic weed, with an estimated market value of Rs3 crore, was seized from his luggage.
The accused, Mohammed Shareef, who worked as an accountant and a part-time real estate broker, earned Rs20,000 per month. According to a Customs official, this was Shareef’s first involvement in drug smuggling, and he had voluntarily participated in the illegal activity.
Shareef arrived from Bangkok at Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) around 11 pm on Saturday via a Thai Lion airline flight. AIU officers, acting on specific intelligence, checked Shareef’s baggage and found six tightly packed plastic bags containing dry leaf substances. Though no contraband was found on him personally, the bags tested positive for hydroponic weed using a narcotic drug field testing kit.
During questioning, Shareef confessed that he had been tasked with delivering the drugs to a dealer in Bengaluru. He had flown to Bangkok from Bangalore on March 27 to purchase the weed. From Mumbai, he planned to travel to Bengaluru to deliver the contraband. He was promised Rs1.5 lakh per kilogram for his efforts.
Further investigation revealed that Shareef had borrowed Rs1.20 lakh to finance his trip, converting it into foreign currencies, including 5300 Saudi Riyal and 750 USD. He spent Rs60,000 on purchasing the hydroponic weed. The authorities have arrested Shareef under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, and he has been produced before the court, where he was remanded in custody for further legal proceedings.
