Kochi | The Customs department has arrested a man who attempted to smuggle Rs 1 crore worth of hybrid ganja (hydroponic weed) through the Postal Appraising Section (PAD) of Customs, officials said on Saturday.

Acting on specific intelligence that hybrid ganja was being shipped from Thailand to an unidentified recipient in Kochi via post, Customs officers visited the Postal Appraising Section and seized the contraband on February 18, an official release from Customs added.

To track down the recipient and gather concrete evidence, a special team comprising officials from the Headquarters Preventive Unit, Customs Preventive Commissionerate, Customs Postal Section, and India Post was formed. A dummy parcel was dispatched through the regular postal delivery process to lure the suspect.

Investigations revealed that the recipient had provided a fake address to receive the contraband. Consequently, Customs officers maintained surveillance at specific locations linked to the recipient.

On February 20, as a postman attempted to deliver the parcel to the given address, Customs officers moved in and arrested the suspect, a Kochi native.

A follow-up search of his residence led to the seizure of 30 grams of hydroponic weed, 50 grams of ganja, and incriminating evidence on his mobile phone, revealing details of distribution chains and a possible supply network targeting students and young individuals.

Following his voluntary statement, the accused was taken into custody and produced before a local court, which remanded him to judicial custody for 14 days, the release added.

Further investigations are underway, officials said.