The Customs officials have arrested a 37-year-old man from Kochi who smuggled 1 kg hybrid ganja (hydroponic weed) worth over Rs 1 crore via the foreign post office in a breakfast cereal pack. The arrested man was identified as Savio Abraham. He was held from an apartment in Kakkanad in a co-ordinated operation with the postal department.

The officers further found 30 grams of hydroponic weeds and 50 grams of ganja in his apartment and also obtained incriminating evidence from his mobile regarding the various distribution chains and possible supply networks to youngsters and students. He has been remanded into judicial custody for 14 days.

The officials received specific intelligence that hybrid ganja was being imported from Thailand to an unknown person to a place in Kochi by post. The officers of the Commissionerate of Customs (Preventive), Kochi, visited the post office on February 18 and seized the contraband. They created a dummy parcel and tracked the receiver address.

The parcel cover from Thailand contained fake address with a mobile number. The officials branched out for surveillance in various locations. On February 20, the postman rang up the man who was supposed to receive the parcel and he responded following which he was arrested by the CCP officials.

​The team was led by K Padmavathy, Commissioner, CCP Kochi, Arun Prasad, Additional Commissioner, Oommen Joseph, Deputy Commissioner and Vivek V, Superintendent. Inspectors Sugeeth, Marva Basheer, Nikhil, Kalyan, Justin, Sandeep and Suthin were also part of the team.