Ahmedabad Customs seizes 973 gm hydroponic marijuana in 'Dehydrated Guava' packets
Synopsis
Thirty packets labelled 'Dehydrated Guava' hid nearly a kilogram of hydroponic marijuana — the fourth seizure of its kind at Ahmedabad airport on the Bangkok route since July. Customs data now shows a clear pattern: couriers are repeatedly using Thai Airways flight TG-343 and food-packaging camouflage, with cumulative seizures crossing 16 kg in under three months.
Key Takeaways
Ahmedabad Customs seized 973.23 grams of hydroponic marijuana on 29 September 2025 from a passenger arriving from Bangkok on Thai Airways TG-343 .
The contraband was hidden inside 30 small packets labelled 'Dehydrated Guava', concealed in a paper carry bag.
The passenger, a Surat resident, was arrested under the NDPS Act, 1985 ; investigation is ongoing.
This is the fourth such reported seizure on the Bangkok–Ahmedabad corridor since July 2025 , with cumulative recoveries exceeding 16 kg .
Earlier cases involved seizures of 8.913 kg (21 September), 1.928 kg (2 September), and 4.2 kg (July) on the same route.
Ahmedabad Customs on Tuesday, 29 September 2025, seized 973.23 grams of hydroponic marijuana from a passenger who had arrived at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) on Thai Airways flight TG-343 from Bangkok, and arrested him under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. The contraband was found concealed inside 30 small printed packets labelled as 'Dehydrated Guava' — a disguise officials say is consistent with a pattern of food-packaging camouflage used by drug couriers on this route.
How the seizure unfolded
Officers of the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Ahmedabad Customs intercepted the passenger — a resident of Surat — based on APIS (Advance Passenger Information System) profiling. During examination of a paper carry bag in his cabin baggage, officers found a green-coloured substance concealed inside two plastic packets. Those packets in turn held the 30 small 'Dehydrated Guava'-labelled pouches.
A field test conducted using an NDPS field-testing kit confirmed the substance was ganja (marijuana). The total seized weight was 973.23 grams. The passenger was subsequently arrested, and further investigation is in progress, according to Customs officials.
A pattern on the Bangkok–Ahmedabad route
The latest seizure is not an isolated incident — it is the fourth publicly reported recovery of hydroponic marijuana involving flight TG-343 or the Bangkok–Ahmedabad corridor in recent months, pointing to what officials describe as an organised smuggling network.
On 21 September, Customs arrested a Mumbai resident after recovering 8.913 kg of hydroponic marijuana from his baggage following his arrival on the same flight TG-343 from Bangkok. The substance was concealed in 14 airtight plastic packets.
Earlier, on 2 September, a husband-wife duo arriving from Bangkok on the same flight were arrested after Customs recovered 1.928 kg of hydroponic marijuana hidden in specially constructed compartments in their trolley bags — packed in 10 vacuum-sealed packets, five per bag, according to Customs officials.
In July, another passenger on the Bangkok route was arrested carrying 4.2 kg of hydroponic marijuana allegedly concealed in 22 packets placed inside food packages, also intercepted through passenger profiling.
Why hydroponic marijuana commands attention
Hydroponic marijuana — cultivated indoors under controlled conditions — is generally considered more potent than conventionally grown cannabis and commands significantly higher street value. Its increasing appearance in Indian airports from Southeast Asian origins reflects a shift in trafficking methods, with couriers increasingly embedding contraband inside everyday food and consumer product packaging to evade detection.
Investigation and what comes next
Customs officials are investigating the source of the latest consignment, its intended destination, and the network behind its transportation. Given the repeated use of flight TG-343 as a smuggling vector, intelligence agencies and Customs are expected to intensify profiling on the Bangkok–Ahmedabad sector. The four cases together represent a cumulative seizure of more than 16 kg of hydroponic marijuana from this single route since July 2025.
Point of View
Not isolated mule runs. What is striking is the persistence of the method: food-packaging camouflage has been used in at least three of the four cases, suggesting couriers are either unaware of or indifferent to the established detection pattern. The more urgent question for investigators is whether these carriers are connected to a single network or represent multiple independent operations exploiting the same route. The cumulative 16-kg-plus haul also raises the question of what is slipping through — APIS profiling has caught these cases, but profiling is only as good as the intelligence that feeds it.
NationPress
29 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What was seized at Ahmedabad airport on 29 September 2025?
Ahmedabad Customs seized 973.23 grams of hydroponic marijuana from a Surat resident who arrived at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thai Airways flight TG-343 from Bangkok. The contraband was concealed inside 30 small packets labelled as 'Dehydrated Guava'.
How was the passenger caught?
The passenger was intercepted by officers of the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) based on APIS (Advance Passenger Information System) profiling. A field test using an NDPS kit confirmed the substance was marijuana.
Is this an isolated seizure or part of a broader pattern?
It is part of a documented pattern. This is the fourth reported seizure of hydroponic marijuana on the Bangkok–Ahmedabad route since July 2025, with cumulative recoveries exceeding 16 kg. Earlier cases on 21 September, 2 September, and in July also involved couriers arriving from Bangkok, in several instances on the same Thai Airways flight TG-343.
What is hydroponic marijuana and why is it significant?
Hydroponic marijuana is cannabis cultivated indoors under controlled conditions, generally considered more potent than field-grown cannabis and commanding a higher street value. Its repeated appearance at Indian airports from Southeast Asian origins indicates a shift in trafficking methods toward high-value contraband.
What happens next in the investigation?
Customs officials are investigating the source of the seized substance, its intended destination, and the network facilitating its transportation. Given the repeat use of flight TG-343, intelligence agencies and Customs are expected to intensify profiling on the Bangkok–Ahmedabad sector.
