The Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Mumbai Airport Customs has arrested a 25-year-old accountant and part-time real estate broker for smuggling drugs worth Rs3 crore from Bangkok. The accused had travelled from Bangalore airport to Bangkok on his own to purchase hydroponic weed (marijuana) for resale. After arriving in Mumbai, he planned to transport the drugs to Bangalore. He claimed to have taken a Rs1.20 lakh loan and exchanged foreign currency before travelling.
Based on specific intelligence about a passenger carrying narcotics, Customs officials intercepted Mohammed Shereef, a Kasargod, Kerala resident, upon his arrival at Mumbai airport from Bangkok on March 29. A search of his trolley bag revealed six transparent plastic packets containing a green, dry, leafy substance in lump form, which he identified as hydroponic weed.
Officials seized 3.004kg weed with an estimated international value of Rs3 crore. Shereef admitted that on March 27, he had travelled to Bangkok to buy the drugs for sale to one Jabbir Minnu from Bangalore.
“Shereef claimed he took a Rs1.20 lakh loan and exchanged 5,300 Saudi Riyal and 750 USD before his trip. He converted the amount into 70,000 Baht and spent 60,000 Baht on purchasing the hydroponic weed. He further admitted that this was his first time smuggling drugs for profit. The investigation is in its early stages, and efforts are underway to identify and apprehend his key associates,” said a Customs officer.
