Ahmedabad, May 22 (AHN) An Indian national was arrested at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) in Ahmedabad after Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) officers seized 20.366 kilograms of marijuana (cannabis) concealed in vacuum-sealed packets inside checked baggage, Customs officials said on Friday.

The interception took place during the intervening night of May 20-21 after specific intelligence inputs from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and profiling of incoming passengers.

Officials said the passenger, a resident of Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh, had arrived from Bangkok on Thai Airways flight TG-343.

During a detailed examination of the traveller’s trolley bag, officers recovered 19 vacuum-sealed packets containing a green-coloured dried plant-like substance hidden within the baggage.

Preliminary field testing confirmed the substance to be marijuana (cannabis). The total quantity recovered was 20.366 kg, which was seized under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

"The passenger was taken into custody and arrested under the NDPS Act," officials said.

The case has subsequently been handed over to the DRI for further investigation into the wider network and possible cross-border links.

A senior officer confirmed to AHN that the estimated illicit market value of the seized contraband is around Rs 20 crore.

Authorities have noted that the consignment followed a pattern frequently observed in recent cases involving arrivals from Bangkok, where high-grade cannabis is often concealed in vacuum-sealed packaging within luggage and intercepted based on intelligence-led profiling.

In a similar recent case on May 17, the AIU at airport seized 6.54 kg of marijuana from a passenger arriving from Bangkok on the same flight route, after officials recovered multiple vacuum-sealed packets hidden in a trolley bag.

Earlier, on January 2, Customs officials at the same airport had seized 7.7 kg of hydroponic cannabis from a Bangkok passenger, also based on intelligence inputs from the DRI.

In another interception in December last year, officials at Ahmedabad airport had seized around 6.2 kg of marijuana from passengers arriving from Bangkok, continuing what authorities described as a recurring trend of narcotics smuggling attempts via Southeast Asian routes.