Delhi Airport Drug Bust: Two Arrested With ₹9 Crore Marijuana Hidden In Snack Packets From Vietnam

Customs officers at Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) have arrested two Indian passengers for allegedly smuggling suspected marijuana worth nearly ₹9 crore, concealed inside snack packets brought from Vietnam.

Officials said the passengers arrived from Vietnam on May 5 and were intercepted at the Green Channel after being flagged through passenger profiling and risk-based surveillance by the Air Intelligence Unit.

During detailed inspection, authorities recovered 17 packets of assorted ready-to-eat snacks from a black and a green trolley bag. The packets were found to contain a green-coloured substance suspected to be ganja or marijuana, indicating a method of concealment designed to evade routine checks.

The total net weight of the seized material was 8,957 grams , with an estimated illicit market value of around ₹8.95 crore. The substance was subjected to field testing , which returned positive results for cannabis, confirming prima facie that it was a narcotic drug.

Officials also noted that the seizure forms part of a broader pattern of increasing drug interceptions at IGI Airport, where traffickers are increasingly using concealed packaging in food items and commercial goods to bypass security systems. Recent enforcement drives have led to multiple multi-crore seizures on international routes, prompting tighter screening and enhanced profiling measures.

Following the recovery, both passengers were arrested and the contraband along with packaging material was seized under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act . Investigators are now probing the possible smuggling network and supply chain links behind the consignment, including whether it is part of a larger cross-border trafficking route.