Indian Amazon Executives charged in Drugs Smuggling Case

Senior executives at Amazon India have been charged over the alleged online delivery of marijuana.

This comes after police in Madhya Pradesh arrested two men in possession of 20 kilograms of the drug on November 14, 2021.

According to officers, the two men created a firm and registered themselves with Amazon as vendors to start an online supply business of cannabis.

They used the website to order and smuggle the drugs under the guise of stevia leaves, a natural sweetener.

In a statement, police said that executive directors of Amazon India had been charged under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.

This was due to “differences in answers in documents provided by the company in response to police questions and facts unearthed by discussion”.

The authorities did not say how many executives were charged.

The police, who had previously summoned and spoken to Amazon executives in the case, estimates that about 1,000kg of marijuana, worth roughly £110,000 was sold via the website.

Amazon said that it does not allow the listing and sale of illegal products, adding that it takes action against such sellers.

The company said: “Amazon has zero-tolerance for misconduct and takes strict action against individuals or third-parties for violation of our policies or applicable laws.

“The issue was notified to us and we are currently investigating it.”

This case is the latest legal issue being dealt with by Amazon India, which is also facing a competition investigation in the country.

Along with Flipkart, a subsidiary of US retail giant Walmart, Amazon India is being probed by regulators over claims that they gave preferential treatment to some sellers.

In September 2021, Amazon also reportedly launched an internal probe after claims that one or more of its Indian employees had bribed officials.

In recent years, Indian authorities have stepped up their efforts to crack down on the use and supply of illegal drugs.

In the last year, many of the country’s high-profile actors and television personalities have come under scrutiny.

India’s Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had arrested Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan in a drugs case.

Officers had raided a cruise ship where a party was being held and several drugs were seized.

Although no drugs were found on him, it was alleged that Aryan was part of a larger drugs trafficking network.

WhatsApp messages also indicated that he was involved in drugs.

However, Aryan repeatedly denied the allegations

The 23-year-old was subsequently remanded in custody. He spent nearly a month in jail before he was released on bail.