Thiruvananthapuram: Hybrid cannabis worth approximately Rs 10 crore, smuggled through the international airport, was found accidentally. The heavier packets were detected during an X-ray examination at the international terminal.

The packets resembled food items. At first, the officers mistook them for chocolates, and later for cigarettes. It was only after they decided to open and inspect each packet separately that they found 10 kilograms of hybrid cannabis.

The authorities assume that the students were made carriers for the sake of money. Malappuram natives residing in Bengaluru were nabbed in the case. They went to Thailand without the knowledge of their parents.

The suspects - 23-year-old youth and a 21-year-old girl are in custody. Their parents have been summoned and are being questioned in detail.

The Customs officers suspect that the students were used as carriers by paying them huge ransoms and free foreign trips. They also haven't ruled out the possibility that the students were trapped without any knowledge of the cannabis racket.

These gangs are suspected of regularly engaging in smuggling, as earlier investigations revealed that students from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka had also acted as carriers in this cannabis racket.