Pune Customs officials, in coordination with the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Pune Regional Unit, seized 1.243 kg of suspected cannabis extract (hashish), allegedly concealed inside cosmetic jars at Pune International Airport on Thursday.
During a detailed examination of her baggage, officers allegedly found a waxy, semi-solid substance with a pungent odour concealed inside three commercial cosmetic containers. The containers were allegedly used to camouflage the suspected narcotic substance as ordinary personal care products. Officers of the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU), Pune Customs, and DRI intercepted an Indian woman passenger who arrived at the airport from Bangkok via Air India Express flight IX-241 on the evening of October 1. The recovered substance, weighing 1.243 kg and having an estimated value of around ₹ 1 crore, has been seized under provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.
The seizure followed behavioural profiling and screening of suspicious check-in baggage, according to Pune Customs . Two of the containers were labelled as Rice and Yolk Hair Treatment, while the third was labelled as ‘Body Scrub’, officials said. A preliminary test conducted using a Narcotic Drug Field Testing Kit returned a positive result for cannabis, according to Customs officials. The passenger has been arrested under the relevant provisions of the NDPS Act, and further investigation is underway to ascertain the source of the contraband and its intended destination, officials said.
