Customs officials seized 1.243 kg of suspected cannabis extract (hashish), valued at approximately ₹1 crore, from a woman passenger who arrived from Bangkok at Pune International Airport in Lohegaon on 1 October 2026. The contraband was concealed inside three branded cosmetic jars in her check-in baggage, according to officials.

How the Seizure Unfolded

The passenger arrived on Air India Express flight IX-241 on the evening of 1 October. Officers of the Air Intelligence Unit (AIU) of Pune Customs and the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), Pune Regional Unit, intercepted her following behavioural profiling and a review of her suspicious check-in baggage. A detailed search was subsequently conducted under procedures mandated by the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

The Concealment Method

Officials found the suspected narcotic hidden inside three branded cosmetic containers. Two of the jars were labelled 'Rice & Yolk Hair Treatment' and the third was marked 'Body Scrub'. Inspectors discovered a waxy, semi-solid substance with a strong odour inside the containers. A preliminary test using a Narcotic Drug Field Testing Kit returned positive for cannabis, officials confirmed.

Arrest and Ongoing Investigation

The entire 1.243 kg of suspected cannabis extract was seized under the provisions of the NDPS Act, 1985. The passenger was subsequently arrested, and an investigation is underway to determine the source of the contraband and its intended destination, officials said. Authorities have not yet disclosed the passenger's identity.

A Similar Case at Lucknow Airport

The Pune seizure comes weeks after a comparable incident at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow. On 4 September, a passenger identified as Anvar Ali, a resident of Malihabad in Lucknow, was detained by a Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) officer after his travel pattern raised suspicion during immigration clearance. Ali had arrived on flight WY-265 from Muscat; a pre-arrival analysis of data from the Advance Passenger Information System showed he had earlier travelled from Bangkok to Oman before flying to Lucknow.

Ali initially told the officer he had visited Bangkok for business purposes. Suspecting he could be carrying contraband, the FRRO officer handed him over to AIU officials, who subsequently recovered 1.677 kg of hydroponic weed valued at around ₹2 crore from his luggage. Both cases point to a recurring pattern of Bangkok-linked drug trafficking through Indian airports.

Broader Pattern of Airport Drug Trafficking

Intelligence agencies have increasingly flagged the Bangkok–India air corridor as a conduit for high-value narcotics, often concealed within everyday items to evade initial screening. The use of consumer product packaging — cosmetic jars, food containers — reflects a growing sophistication among traffickers, according to enforcement officials. Notably, both the Pune and Lucknow seizures were triggered not by scanners alone but by behavioural profiling and travel-pattern analysis, underscoring the role of human intelligence in airport interdiction. Investigations in both cases remain ongoing.