Indian authorities have charged senior executives at Amazon's local unit in the country over the alleged use of the platform to smuggle marijuana. Police did not say how many executives were charged, but it was confirmed that they were found to have violated the country's narcotics laws.
Madhya Pradesh police charged the executives following the recent arrest of two men who were in possession of 20 kilograms of marijuana. The men, who were arrested last week, had used Amazon's Indian website to buy and sell marijuana. The men had reportedly sold the marijuana as stevia leaves - a natural sweetener - on Amazon's platform.
Executive of Amazon India has been designated as suspects under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, according to state police, due to inconsistencies in their replies in papers submitted in response to police inquiries.
Bhind Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Singh claimed that Amazon also received a 66% profit from the trade of marijuana on its platform. Based on the evidence they have collected, Singh said that they had enough to prosecute the people running the e-commerce website.
The Traders' Association of India previously called on the Narcotics Control Bureau to investigate reports of marijuana smuggling on Amazon. The group had also asked Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan to help prevent the issue from being politicized.
The trade group said that authorities should take the strictest actions possible against Amazon, and they should arrest the people responsible for the operations and management of the company. The group's president, BC Bhartia, said earning commission from the illegal trade makes Amazon guilty of violating Section 20(b) of NDPS Act, which clearly indicates that entities that "produces, manufactures, possesses, sells, purchases, transports, imports inter-State, exports inter-State or uses cannabis, shall be punishable."
CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said Amazon not only allowed its platform to be used for the sale of commercial quantities of marijuana but it also actively participated in the transactions.
Indian authorities, who had previously summoned and met with Amazon officials in the case, said that they estimate that around 1,000 kg of marijuana worth around $148,000 has been sold through Amazon India.
In recent years, Indian authorities have stepped up their efforts to combat the trade of illegal drugs, including those sold online and through e-commerce platforms. Since last year, authorities have investigated several high-profile Indian actors and politicians who may be involved in the buying and selling of marijuana.
