Indian Police Accuse Amazon Executives of Illegal Cannabis Sales
Two Indian dealers discovered a way to sell cannabis (which is illegal in India) directly through Amazon by listing it as legal herbs. For seven months, their business thrived until they were eventually caught. The police decided not to stop at arresting the dealers and also filed charges against Amazon executives, as the company earned over $90,000 in commissions from these sales.
Details of the Case
On November 14, police in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh arrested two men—Kallu Pawaiya and Brijendra Tomar—suspected of illegal cannabis sales. According to investigators, the suspects purchased wholesale quantities of cannabis in the city of Visakhapatnam and resold them in Gwalior, Bhopal, Kota, Agra, and other regions across the country. The twist in the story is that the sales were conducted using the Amazon India website.
To disguise the product, it was listed as stevia leaves (according to other sources, curry leaves) and delivered by Amazon’s logistics team from a warehouse in Gwalior. Authorities confiscated about 20 kg of cannabis from Pawaiya (considered the organizer) and Tomar. However, investigators claim that over the past seven months, the suspects completed 384 orders and sold 768 kilograms of cannabis.
The investigation also calculated that total sales reached $148,000, with Amazon itself receiving a 66.66% commission (about $98,500).
Amazon’s Response and Further Actions
Commenting on the incident, Amazon’s Indian management reminded the public that prohibited items under local laws cannot be listed or sold on the platform, and that strict measures are taken against sellers who violate these rules. However, this response did not satisfy the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), which appealed to the police to take the strictest action against Amazon India’s executives.
The police had already planned to question the company’s leadership, as Amazon was named in the official report on violations of India’s narcotics laws. On November 20, it was reported that after questioning, police filed drug trafficking charges against several Amazon executives.
The names of the accused have not been disclosed, but reports mention the involvement of promoter (or, according to other sources, lawyer) Sumanth Narang and warehouse manager Shashank Singh in the questioning. The Madhya Pradesh state government also threatened to take action against Amazon’s managing director and CEO if they refused to cooperate with the investigation.
According to the press, the charges against Amazon’s leadership were based on discrepancies in documents provided to the police and facts uncovered during questioning.