An executive director of online retailer Amazon has been charged under the narcotics laws in Madhya Pradesh in a case involving the sale of marijuana allegedly through the e-commerce giant, the Hindustan Times reported on Sunday.
Several media outlets reported that more than one Amazon official have been booked in the case.
The role of the Amazon executive director came to light after the police in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind city arrested four people who allegedly sold weed through a company they reportedly registered on the online retailer. The accused persons pretended to sell a plant-based sweetener.
“The accused had supplied at least 1,000 kg of marijuana from Visakhapatnam,” Bhind Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Singh told the Hindustan Times.
Singh added during their investigation, the police found that the Amazon official provided logistical support to the four people, the newspaper reported.
“The executive director has been booked on the basis of documents provided by Amazon for allowing a seller to supply marijuana in different parts of the country as stevia leaves [the sweetener],” Singh said.
Amazon said it was looking into to the matter. “We do not allow the listing and sale of products which are prohibited under law to be sold in India,” a spokesperson for the company said, according to the Hindustan Times. “However, in case sellers list such products, as an intermediary, we take strict action as may be required under the law, when the same is highlighted to us.”
However, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra alleged that Amazon was not cooperating in the investigation and warned the online retailer of action, NDTV reported.
Mishra added that the case is of great concern and the state government will soon frame guidelines to regulate online businesses.
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