MP Police charges Amazon executives over online drug sales

Police in India have charged an unknown number of Amazon India executives Saturday in connection with drug trafficking that they allege has taken place on the platform.

The police had summoned Amazon representatives for questioning earlier this week, after two men were arrested for allegedly smuggling marijuana. On Saturday, police said executives were charged over discrepancies between the answers they had provided and evidence which the investigators collected.

They were booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, according to a Madhya Pradesh police statement.

Indian police claims that the company is not cooperating with the probe, which Amazon India denies.

Amazon 'gathering relevant information'

Manoj Singh, the superintendent of police in Bhind district who heads the investigation said he is yet to receive information regarding 20 packages shipped to different places from the company.

"The company is earning hugely from this country, and they have a social responsibility towards citizens," Singh told The Times of India. 

But Amazon India told the paper that they were extending their full cooperation.

"We are in the process of gathering relevant information, as requested by the local investigating authorities, and we are well on course to submitting them with the stipulated deadline," the company said.

Three arrests made

Bhind police said three people were arrested so far, claiming that one ton of marijuana was sent using the site. The drug, worth more than 10 million rupees (€120,000 or $135,000), was mislabeled as "curry leaf" or "stevia leaf."

The Times of India reports that two suspects involved in the sale of marijuana on the e-commerce site were arrested Saturday night at a roadside cafe on the Bhind-Gwalior highway.

Police said one suspect smuggled marijuana labeled "curry leaves" from the  southern state of Andhra Pradesh and delivered it to central and northeast cities of Bhopal, Gwalior, Kota and Agra using Amazon India. The other was said to operate the roadside café where they were arrested.

Police allege that sales were managed by a company in the coastal city of Vishakhapatnam. The police in Vishakhapatnam also reported one suspect was arrested over the case.

In recent years, Indian authorities have intensified efforts to crack down on illegal drugs. Famous Indian actors and TV personalities have faced scrutiny from Indian drug enforcement officials.