Hybrid weed smuggling outpaces gold after customs duty reduction

Since July 2024, about 90kg hybrid ganja has been seized from Kochi airport alone

- SHAN A S @T'Puram

BELIEVE it or not. Hybrid ganja is fast emerging as the new 'gold' for international smuggling cartels having Kerala links. The Union government slashing the customs duty on imported gold from 15% to 6% in July 2024 has weaned many of the rackets away from smuggling of the precious metal and some of them have switched to smuggling of hybrid ganja as it fetches a higher profit margin, sources in the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and Customs Preventive Commissionerate (CCP) told TNIE.

Customs Preventive Commissionerate sources said since the customs duty was slashed, in the last eight months, the seizure of gold was reduced by one-fifth.