In a significant drug bust, the Commissionerate of Customs (Preventive) unit has thwarted an attempt to smuggle 5.5kg of hybrid ganja through Kochi airport, arresting Shibu A K, a resident of Malappuram. Shibu was scheduled to fly to Ras-Al-Khaimah in the UAE on Thursday when the authorities intercepted him at the airport’s departure hall.
Acting on a tip-off, customs officers detained Shibu and discovered that the ganja had been concealed in 12 packets inside his trolley bag. The seized drugs are valued at approximately Rs 5.5 crore.
Customs officials suspect that Shibu was acting as a carrier for an international narcotics network, trafficking drugs from Kerala to the UAE, where they command a significantly higher price. According to investigators, the hybrid ganja was sourced from Bangkok and was being smuggled via Kochi to the UAE.
“This is the first time we’ve arrested a person attempting to smuggle hybrid ganja out of Kerala to a foreign country. This seizure indicates the existence of a narcotics trafficking network operating from the state,” said a customs officer.
Typically, hybrid ganja seizures at the airport involve passengers arriving from Bangkok, but this case marks a new method of smuggling with outbound international trafficking.
Shibu A K was produced before the court and remanded to judicial custody. Customs officials plan to seek his custody for further interrogation to uncover the broader network behind the operation.
