The Delhi Police Crime Branch has dismantled an international drug cartel operating across India, Thailand and the UAE, with the arrest of a former Customs Department officer and the seizure of over 21 kg of high-grade hydroponic marijuana worth Rs 27 crore, officials said on Wednesday.
The accused, Rohit Kumar Sharma (35), a former Inspector with the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), was apprehended during a late-night operation in Janakpuri, southwest Delhi, according to Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav.
Police also recovered Rs 44.42 lakh in cash, an XUV, and a scooter, believed to be proceeds of drug trafficking.
High-Grade Marijuana Imported from Thailand
Acting on specific intelligence, a Crime Branch team laid a trap near Janak Cinema on the night of October 13-14, where Sharma was allegedly delivering a major consignment of "ocean-grown weed," also known as hydroponic marijuana.
Police seized 21.512 kg of the banned substance from Sharma's possession. Hydroponic marijuana is a rare, high-end variant of cannabis cultivated through scientific hydroponic techniques, boasting a THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) content 10 times higher than regular marijuana.
"This premium-grade marijuana is extremely popular among affluent users and high-end party circuits. It is typically imported from Thailand via international courier networks," the police said in a statement.
From Customs Officer to Drug Trafficker
Investigations revealed that Sharma, a B.Tech graduate in Electronics Engineering, joined the Central Excise Department in 2015. However, his career took a dark turn when he was arrested in 2019 in a gold smuggling case while posted at Kannur Airport, Kerala. He was subsequently booked under the NDPS Act by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) and dismissed from service in 2023 following a departmental inquiry.
After being sacked, Sharma moved to Dubai, where he reportedly met Abhishek, a native of Bihar. The duo allegedly conspired to smuggle hydroponic marijuana from Thailand to India, using Sharma's connections in the Customs Department to bypass checks at low-footfall airports such as Guwahati.
Hawala and Crypto Channels Used for Money Laundering
Police said the proceeds from drug sales were funnelled through hawala networks and cryptocurrency channels routed to Dubai to evade detection.
"The accused leveraged his insider knowledge of customs operations and courier networks to run the smuggling racket," DCP Yadav added.
A further probe is underway to trace his associates and uncover the full extent of the international drug network.
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