Mumbai Airport Customs Seize 2 Gibbons, ₹7.97 Crore Hydroponic Marijuana in Twin Operations

Customs officials at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) seized two endangered silvery gibbons—one dead and one alive—from a passenger arriving from Bangkok on October 30, 2025, following specific intelligence inputs. The two-month-old and four-month-old primates were concealed in a small basket hidden inside a trolley bag during routine baggage examination, leading to the immediate arrest of the traveller under the Customs Act, 1962, and the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

This incident highlights the ongoing challenges in curbing illegal wildlife trafficking through major Indian airports, where exotic species are often smuggled to meet demand in the black market for pets.

The silvery gibbon (Hylobates moloch), native to the rainforests of Indonesia's Java island, is classified as "endangered" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to habitat loss from deforestation, illegal logging, and poaching. With fewer than 2,500 individuals remaining in the wild, the species faces a high risk of extinction, and international trade is strictly regulated under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

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The surviving gibbon, a juvenile, has been handed over to wildlife authorities for rehabilitation, while the deceased one underscores the perils of such smuggling operations, where animals endure cramped, stressful conditions during transit.

Officials noted that the fatality rate for smuggled mammals during air travel is alarmingly high, often due to dehydration, oxygen deprivation, or trauma, with even those that survive facing dismal long-term prospects outside their natural habitat. Despite potential care from end buyers in exotic pet syndicates, factors like improper diet, climate mismatch, and lack of social structures contribute to low survival rates. This seizure aligns with a broader crackdown on wildlife crime in India, where Mumbai's airport has emerged as a hotspot for such interceptions, including recent busts involving pangolins, ivory, and live birds from Southeast Asia.

In a separate operation at the same airport, customs authorities arrested another Bangkok-bound passenger carrying 7.970 kilograms of suspected hydroponic marijuana, valued at approximately Rs 7.97 crore, concealed within a checked-in trolley bag. The dual busts reflect intensified surveillance and intelligence-sharing efforts between Indian customs and international agencies to dismantle trafficking networks. Investigations into both cases are ongoing, with authorities urging travellers to report suspicious activities to bolster enforcement against these illicit trades.

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