In a notable crackdown against drug trafficking, Customs authorities successfully seized six kilograms of suspected hydroponic weed, commonly known as hybrid ganja. The illicit substance was discovered on a fashion designer arriving at Kochi airport in Nedumbassery this Sunday, October 5, 2025.
The individual apprehended has been identified as Abdul Jaleel Jasmal, a 29-year-old from Kodungalloor in Thrissur. Jasmal, who landed on a flight from Bangkok, was intercepted by the Air Intelligence Unit of Customs during the early hours of Sunday. According to a Customs official, the high-value contraband was meticulously concealed within six separate packets inside his handbag.
This latest seizure of suspected hybrid ganja follows closely on the heels of another significant arrest just two weeks prior. On September 19, Customs officials in Kochi arrested Zachariya Titus, a 23-year-old from Vaduthala, who was caught attempting to collect a parcel believed to contain a similar quantity of the drug from a Foreign Post Office.
Reports indicate a worrying trend, with several cases of suspected hybrid ganja seizures being recorded across various parts of the State in recent months. For instance, in August, the same unit at Kochi airport confiscated four kilograms of suspected hybrid ganja from a passenger arriving from Bangkok. Earlier, in June, the Air Customs Wing at Thiruvananthapuram airport arrested two young men from Malappuram for allegedly attempting to smuggle approximately ten kilograms of the same illicit drug from Bangkok.
Further intensifying the crackdown, the Air Customs Wing at Calicut International Airport intercepted three women arriving from Thailand in May, seizing a substantial 34 kilograms of suspected hybrid ganja. Moreover, in April, the Commissionerate of Customs (Preventive) in Kochi successfully thwarted an attempt to smuggle 5.5 kilograms of hybrid ganja abroad through Kochi airport, leading to the apprehension of a Malappuram native.