Ex-customs officer held with Rs 27 crore 'hydroponic marijuana', drug cartel busted

Delhi Police has busted an international drug cartel operating in India, Thailand and the UAE with the arrest of a sacked customs department officer and seizure of over 21 kg of high-grade "hydroponic marijuana" with a street value of Rs 27 crore, an official said on Wednesday.

Rohit Kumar Sharma, a 35-year-old former inspector with the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), was arrested during a late-night operation in Janakpuri in south-west Delhi, he said.

Police also seized Rs 44.42 lakh in cash, allegedly proceeds from drug sales, along with an XUV and a scooter from his possession, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said.

Acting on a tip-off, a team laid a trap near Janak Cinema on the intervening night of October 13 and 14 and intercepted Sharma, who was delivering a major consignment of "ocean-grown weed", also known as hydroponic marijuana.

"A total of 21.512 kg of the substance was seized from him and at his instance. Hydroponic marijuana is a rare, high-end variant cultivated using scientific methods and has a tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content 10 times higher than regular cannabis.

"It is popular among affluent users and party circles and is usually imported from Thailand through international courier routes," a police statement said.

The police said that Sharma holds a B.Tech degree in Electronics Engineering and had joined the Central Excise Department in 2015.

However, he was arrested in 2019 in a gold smuggling case during his posting at Kannur Airport in Kerala and was later booked under the NDPS Act by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI).

"He was dismissed from service in 2023 after a departmental inquiry," the DCP said.

Following his sacking, Sharma shifted to Dubai, where he allegedly came into contact with Abhishek, a native of Bihar, and the two conspired to import hydroponic marijuana from Thailand into India.

The accused used his contacts within the Customs Department to facilitate smuggling through low-footfall airports such as Guwahati, the officer said.

The proceeds from the sale of drugs were allegedly laundered through hawala and cryptocurrency channels routed to Dubai, he said. Further investigation is underway to identify his associates, the police said.