AnyTime News 
Air Customs Foils Mega Drug Syndicate on Muscat-Lucknow Flight; 13 Kg Narcotics Confiscated
By Pooja Shrivastava, Any Time News Network
In one of the most high-profile narcotics busts at the Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport (CCSIA) in Lucknow, the Air Customs wing has intercepted an international drug smuggling attempt, seizing high-grade Hydroponic Marijuana worth a staggering ₹13 crore. The prohibited NDPS substance was being smuggled by an Indian passenger returning from Muscat, who had ingeniously concealed the premium contraband inside commercial chocolate gift wrappers to bypass airport security.
The operational breakthrough occurred following a meticulous risk-profiling and X-ray screening of check-in baggage from Muscat-to-Lucknow flight WY-265, which landed at the CCSIA. Based on a suspicious density profile observed during the luggage scan, customs officials zeroed in on the passenger. Upon intercepting the individual and conducting a rigorous physical search of his registered baggage, officers recovered five large chocolate packets that felt unusually heavy.
10 Packets of Premium Weed Extracted; Accused remanded to Judicial Custody
The unpacking of the suspicious consignment exposed a highly sophisticated layers-of-concealment technique deployed by international drug cartels.
The Modus Operandi: Inside the five chocolate boxes, customs officials found 10 polythene packets tightly wrapped in multiple layers. Each chocolate box contained two hidden packets filled with a green, leafy substance, identified as premium hydroponic weed.
Massive Value: The total net weight of the seized narcotics stood at 13 kilograms, commanded at an estimated market valuation of ₹13 crore.
Rigorous Prosecution Under NDPS: Following a positive preliminary field test, the contraband was seized under Section 43(A) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. The passenger was booked for violating Section 8 and committing offenses punishable under Sections 20, 23, and 29 of the NDPS Act. The accused was formally arrested on June 1 and produced before the honorable court on June 2, 2026, which swiftly remanded him to judicial custody. Further investigations are underway to trace the local receivers of this high-value drug consignment in Uttar Pradesh.
