Customs officers at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru arrested two men in separate cases this week after hydroponic ganja was found hidden in false compartments built into their trolley bags.[1] Ritesh Vijay Thadani, a 30-year-old resident of Mumbai, was the first, caught on Monday after arriving from Bangkok.[1] Officers found the ganja in sealed plastic bags inside check-in luggage that had been deposited at Bangkok airport.[1] Customs estimated the 2.9 kg haul at Rs 1 crore according to approved valuation guidelines.[1]

A day later, on Tuesday, Rahul Kumar, a Bihar resident, was stopped as he tried to leave KIA’s Terminal 2 with 3 kg of hydroponic ganja.[1] In his case the drug had been packed in vacuum-sealed pockets to save space.[1] Customs put the value of the 3 kg seizure at Rs 1.05 crore.[1] Both men were arrested by Customs under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.[1]

A senior customs officer told The Times of India that x-ray scanners alone cannot reveal ganja and that only experienced, trained officers find a hidden compartment.[2] Officials said the technique of hiding ganja in false compartments was not new, though similar smuggling acts had not been reported at the airport in recent times.[2] Customs counted the two seizures together at 5.9 kg of hydroponic ganja worth roughly Rs 2 crore.[2]