New Delhi, Jul 22 (PTI) The government has raised the issue of high-potency hybrid cannabis (hydroponic ganja) being smuggled from Thailand into the country during bilateral talks held in May this year, Lok Sabha was informed Tuesday.
Primarily, air routes have been identified as the major trafficking routes for such smuggling and distribution of the narcotic, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said in response to a written question.
“There have been incidents where international couriers and parcels containing Hydroponic Ganja has been booked from Thailand and subsequently seized by Drug Law Enforcement Agencies (DLEAs) in India,” he said The data shared by the minister showed seizure of 373 kilograms of hybrid cannabis in 56 cases, in which 77 people have been arrested so far this year.
The seizure shows a significant spike since 2023, when 169 kilograms of this narcotic were seized in the country.
“The Government has raised the issues with the authorities in Thailand and also flagged the issue in bilateral meeting held from 27th to 29th May, 2025, at Bangkok, Thailand, as the modus operandi revealed the involvement of human carriers travelling on flights originating from Thailand, as well as the use of courier parcels,” Rai said.
The minister said 1,44,812 people were arrested in 2022 for smuggling and distributing drugs in the country, a sharp increase from 81,778 in 2018.
He said the government has taken various steps to curb the drug menace, like setting up a four-tier Narco-Coordination Centre (NCORD) to enhance coordination between central and state DLEAs, formation of a dedicated Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) in every state, and a Joint Coordination Committee under the chairmanship of Director General NCB to monitor significant seizure cases. PTI ABS ANM VN VN
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