{
  "id": 18353500,
  "title": "Pune Airport: Customs Seizes Hydroponic Weed Worth ₹3.72 Crore Hidden In Food Packets, Bangkok Passenger Arrested",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/05/pune-airport-customs-seizes-hydroponic-weed-worth-3-72-crore-hidden",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-05T18:10:02.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/pune/pune-airport-customs-seizes-hydroponic-weed-worth-372-crore-hidden-in-food-packets-bangkok-passenger-arrested"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On November 4, 2026, Indian customs officials at Pune International Airport apprehended an Indian citizen who had traveled from Bangkok via Air India Express flight IX-291. The individual was targeted due to profiling and the detection of unusual activity in their luggage. Upon further inspection, officers uncovered a sophisticated method of smuggling illicit drugs. Concealed within nine rectangular packets, labeled as freeze-dried durian, lay 10.642 kilograms of hydroponic weed, also known as marijuana. The packaging contained two layers of vacuum-sealed black polythene to evade detection. Upon opening the packets, the arresting officers identified the substance as marijuana through preliminary testing. The entire shipment, valued at approximately ₹3.72 crore, was subsequently seized. The Indian national was arrested and presented before a judicial magistrate, who granted him judicial custody until November 18. Authorities are currently investigating the broader syndicate responsible for this drug smuggling attempt. Pune Customs remains on high alert to prevent the trafficking of contraband substances and drugs.",
  "summary": "Continuing its crusade against the drug traffickers, officers of the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) and Airport Batch Officers, Pune Customs, intercepted an Indian national arriving from Bangkok at Pune International Airport on the evening of 04.11.2026. The passenger, who arrived via Air India Express flight IX-291, was intercepted based on passenger profiling and suspicious scanning of check-in…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}