In a major crackdown, authorities at Bhubaneswar’s Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) seized a significant haul of ganja worth approximately Rs 4 crore, hidden inside food packets. The operation, conducted by the Customs Department and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), was carried out following a tip-off, which led to the arrest of the accused individual.
The arrested man, a resident of Kerala, had concealed the ganja within food parcels coming from Bangkok, reportedly smuggling the drugs for a commission. This latest operation adds to a series of drug-related busts at BPIA, highlighting the airport as a hotspot for drug trafficking.
Earlier in the week, on Monday, Customs officials also arrested two women, Nasira Khatun and Abida Khatun, both from West Bengal, for carrying ganja worth over Rs 9 crore. During questioning, the women revealed that drug traffickers often used women to smuggle processed marijuana from Germany to Malaysia and then into India. This follows a similar operation on January 6, when Customs officials seized ganja from two female passengers arriving at BPIA from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The women were found carrying a greenish, lumpy substance concealed in 19 vacuum-packed transparent packets in their checked-in baggage.
With at least three drug seizures in January 2025, it has become clear that an international smuggling ring is behind these operations, using BPIA as a key transit point for the illegal contraband. The authorities continue to investigate the extensive network involved in the drug trafficking scheme.
