Smuggling rises at Gujarat airports

Gold seizures have also been substantial. During 2024-25, Customs officers seized around 135 kg of smuggled gold worth nearly Rs 70 crore at airports across Gujarat

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Officials say networks based in Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Haryana and Punjab are actively using the two airports to move illegal consignments into the country.

The pattern emerged after Gujarat Customs conducted a detailed analysis of the travel history, passport data, ticket bookings, credit card usage and bank transactions of every carrier intercepted at both airports over the past two to three years.

The numbers underline the sharp escalation. At Ahmedabad airport alone, officials seized 33 kg of narcotics from five carriers in 2024. The figure jumped dramatically to 110 kg from 21 carriers in 2025. In the first ten days of January 2026 itself, officers had already intercepted 26 kg from eight carriers.