Pune: Customs officials at the city airport on Monday this week made their fourth seizure in two months of hydroponic weed. Four people, including three carriers and one handler, were apprehended with 13.725kg of the substance, costing approximately Rs13.72 crore in the illicit market. The development highlights a growing shift of ‘mules’ ferrying this premium form of marijuana in and out of Pune airport and the country, said customs officials. Speaking about the latest seizure, a customs official told TOI, “The three men are from Maharashtra, and the weed was hidden in their check-in bags. The trio came to Pune on an IndiGo flight from Bangkok. We also managed to arrest the handler, who was waiting for them outside the airport. They have been remanded in judicial custody under the NDPS Act, 1985, and more investigations are ongoing.” Just before this incident, on Aug 8 this year, a man identified as Atul Sushil Hiwale was caught with more than 6kg of the same contraband, costing Rs6.12 crore in the illicit market, when he landed in Pune from Bangkok on an Air India Express flight. On July 24 this year, a man named Abhinay Yadav, who landed in Pune from Bangkok on an IndiGo flight, was caught with 10.47kg of this kind of weed, costing Rs10.5 crore. According to the value of seizures cited by customs officials, this variety of weed costs a whopping Rs10,000 per gram on the black market. Hydroponic weed is considered more efficient in providing a high than the varieties that are traditionally cultivated. A senior officer of the Pune police said the price of hydroponic weed ranges from Rs15 lakh to Rs20 lakh per kg in the city. “The value depends on the price decided in the illicit drug market. We had also caught a similar consignment around 6 months ago. The drug is costly as it is synthetic and can be grown at home, rather than in farms. It is much more potent than regular ganja, too,” he said. (With inputs from Asseem Sheikh)
