Police in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh have charged Amazon India executives under narcotics laws, after uncovering a marijuana smuggling operation centered around the e-commerce website.
On November 14, police allege, two men caught possessing 20kg of cannabis were using Amazon India to sell their product across state lines. The vendors, who had registered as sellers on Amazon, advertised the product as sugar substitute ingredient Stevia leaves, but upon inspection the product turned out to be an entirely different and much less legal weed. Police believe the dealers had already moved approximately 1,000 kilograms of dope – valued at $148,000 – on Jeff Bezos’ digital tat bazaar.
The very next day, the police summoned local Amazon execs to explain their role in the smuggling operation. A senior police official justified the action by pointing out that Amazon has vast artificial intelligence capabilities and should therefore have been able to nip the crimes in the bud.
“There is the involvement of Amazon at many levels in this marijuana delivery, from providing logistical support to delivery,” said senior police official Manoj Singh.
By Saturday November 20, Madhya Pradesh police had charged senior Amazon execs with offences under India’s narcotics laws. There is no suggestion that Amazon India staff were personally involved in the sale.
A post on the Bhind Police Facebook page states that an undisclosed number of executives were accused under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act because of variations between Amazon documentation and the information revealed in the police investigation. ®