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In focus
In yet another seizure of highly potent hydroponic weed, the Air Intelligence Unit of the customs department on Tuesday intercepted a passenger arriving at the Pune International Airport from Bangkok and seized from him over six kilograms of the contraband worth over Rs 6 crores in the international market.
An investigation has been launched into the supply and distribution network of the suspect, who has been arrested.
According to the customs department, based on profiling and suspicious behaviour, the officers of the Air Intelligence Unit at the Pune International Airport intercepted one passenger identified as Atul Sushil Hiwale, who landed deboarded from an Air India Express flight on August 5. Narcotics suspected to be hydroponic marijuana weighing 6119.15 grams estimtated to be Rs 6.12 crores concealed in a check-in trolley bag of the accused was seized.
A case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act has been registered. The accused was arrested and produced before a magistrate, who sent him to judicial custody.
This is not the first time hydropic weed has been seized from Pune. In April this year, the Pune city police arrested a 26-year-old BBA graduate in sales and marketing and seized from him hydroponics weed. Police had seized over 30 grams of marijuana valued at Rs 3 lakh. Police had recovered from him a strain of marijuana called OG Kush, which was grown using the hydroponic technique.
In May, the Pune unit of the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) intercepted drugs that were allegedly being smuggled by two passengers who arrived at Pune Airport from Bangkok. The DRI sleuths seized hydroponic weed and hashish worth Rs 10.3 crore from the accused passengers and from follow up searches conducted in Mumbai.
Officials said multiple seizures of highly potent marijuana grown using hydroponic technique have been reported from across India. In many of these cases, the drugs were smuggled from abroad. Investigators believe that these strain at value multifolds than the regular weed primarily because of reasons tied to its growing method, potency, and perceived quality.
Investigators believe that controlled indoor cultivation might be resulting in high potency of the drugs and higher levels of tetrahydrocannabinol or THC which leads to stronger psychoactive effects.
Officers also believe that higher production cost and perceived notion that this product would be cleaner also results in high price. Officers said sometimes, weed is just touted as a hydroponic strain to get high value.
“Irrespective of how it is produced or perceived, marijuana—like all drugs—poses serious health risks, including potential damage to mental and physical health and carries a high risk of addiction,” said an officer.
