21 kg of hydroponic marijuana seized: Drug cartel busted, sacked Customs inspector held with drugs worth Rs 27-cr

Rohit, a resident of Najafgarh, had completed his BTech in electronics engineering in 2012, and started preparing for government examinations. In 2015, he got into CBIC. In 2019, police said, while he was posted at Kannur airport in Kerala, Rohit got in touch with “international gold smugglers”.

“The same year, he was arrested for his role in a 3-kg gold smuggling case and was later booked in an NDPS case by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence. Following departmental inquiry, he was dismissed from service in 2023,” DCP (Crime) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said.

After he was sacked, Rohit tried his hand at other jobs, like trying his luck as a property dealer, police said. But none was as lucrative as his role as a Customs inspector, getting in on smuggled goods. And Rohit still had his connections in the Customs department.

“Rohit moved to Dubai and soon got involved in narco trafficking. He came into contact with Bihar resident Abhishek. Together, they conspired to import hydroponic marijuana from Thailand into India. Rohit used his connections within the Customs department to ensure that carriers bringing the contraband into India were cleared without checks,” the DCP said.

The modus operandi was simple: Abhishek would send men and women from Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to Bangkok, many times as couples. They would bring in the marijuana — disguised as food items in packets — from Bangkok to any low-footfall airport in India. Get the package past Custom officials with the help of Rohit’s connections and then courier the same to Delhi-NCR.

“The operation was controlled by an international cartel based in Dubai and Thailand… Proceeds from drug sales were converted to cryptocurrency (USDT) and transferred to Dubai via hawala channels to mask the money trail,” the DCP said.

It all came crashing down on October 13 night. A Crime Branch team received a tip-off that Rohit was to deliver a consignment near Janak Cinema. A trap was laid and Rohit was arrested. Police also seized Rs 44.42 lakh in cash, allegedly proceeds from drug sales, along with an XUV and a scooter from his possession, the DCP said.