The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Amritsar Zonal Unit, in a joint operation with the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), has arrested the alleged kingpin of an international hydroponic cannabis trafficking racket after he arrived in India from Thailand.
The NCB described the arrest as a major breakthrough in its ongoing investigation into the international drug smuggling network.
The accused, identified as Rishubh Ahuja alias Rishi, a resident of Sonepat, Haryana, was intercepted by NCB officials at Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi after arriving on a flight from Thailand. He was arrested in connection with a case registered under various provisions of the NDPS Act, including charges of criminal conspiracy and financing illicit drug trafficking. Authorities had earlier cancelled his passport to prevent him from evading arrest.
According to NCB sources, Ahuja had been absconding for the past four years. The agency also said he was previously arrested in Dubai in a gold smuggling case and remained in jail there for about 18 months.
According to the NCB, the case relates to an international syndicate that allegedly smuggled hydroponic cannabis, commonly known as hydro ganja, from Thailand into India through commercial flights.
Investigators alleged that Ahuja coordinated the trafficking network from Thailand and played a key role in managing its operations. The syndicate is also suspected of recruiting young men and women as drug couriers by offering them relatively small sums to transport narcotics into India.
The NCB said the arrest is expected to help investigators uncover the wider international network behind the smuggling operation, including its financial trail and overseas links.
The accused was produced before a court in Amritsar, which remanded him to four days of NCB custody for further interrogation. Four people have been arrested in the case so far. The agency said investigations are continuing to identify other members of the syndicate, trace the proceeds of crime and determine the accused’s involvement in similar offences in India and abroad.
What is hydroponic ganja?
Hydroponic cannabis, commonly known as “hydro ganja”, is grown without soil using a nutrient-rich water solution. The cultivation is carried out in air-conditioned indoor rooms under artificial LED or HPS grow lights, where temperature, humidity and nutrient levels are carefully monitored and controlled. It helps optimise plant growth. This method is popular among illegal cultivators because it enables faster growth cycles, higher yields and often produces cannabis with greater potency compared to traditionally soil-grown plants.
