2 min readApr 4, 2026 07:15 PM ISTOfficials said the contraband was found in two transparent vacuum sealed packets wrapped with carbon paper from inside.Customs department officials seized hydroponic weed worth Rs 33.6 lakh from a passenger at Pune International Airport on Friday.As per a press release issued Saturday, based on profiling, officers from the Air Intelligence Unit at Pune International Airport intercepted a passenger arriving from Bangkok on Air India Express Flight on Friday.A search of his hand bag revealed the presence of hydroponic weed — which is marijuana grown using hydroponic techniques.Officials said the contraband was found in two transparent vacuum sealed packets wrapped with carbon paper from inside. “The contraband was seized, and the passenger was arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. Further Investigation is ongoing,” the press release stated.Last month, on March 26, the Customs officials had seized hydroponic weed worth Rs 26.8 crore found in an import consignment of “food items of Chinese origin”, which arrived at the Pune International Airport from Thailand. As stated in the press release, the goods in this consignment were declared as ‘Mandarin orange Sacs’ and were packed in white thermocol boxes.Also, on March 3, the Air Intelligence Unit of the Customs Department at Pune International Airport seized 745 gram of hydroponic weed, estimated to be worth Rs 74.5 lakh, from the lavatory of an Air India Express Bangkok-Pune flight.On February 11, the Customs Department had arrested a suspect at Pune International Airport for allegedly possessing 5.429 kg of hydroponic weed valued at Rs 5.42 crore in the illicit market. The suspect had arrived from Bangkok by an Air India Express flight. Contraband was stored in transparent packets inside five toy boxes in his luggage bag, officials seized.Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:Pune airport