Greater Noida Man Cultivates Cannabis in Apartment, Sells Online via Dark Web
Greater Noida Man Cultivates Cannabis in Apartment, Sells Online via Dark Web
During a raid on a 10th-floor flat in Greater Noida on Tuesday, police were shocked to find an indoor nursery filled with cannabis plants instead of regular flowers, along with all the equipment needed for their cultivation.
Inspector Anuj Kumar described the scene as if it came straight out of a Hollywood movie. They were expecting just a few cannabis plants in a flower pot, but instead found a setup with full-spectrum lights, temperature-regulating equipment, and cannabis plants labeled by variety.
The police raided the flat in Parsvnath Panorama Society following information about illegal cannabis cultivation. A 46-year-old man named Rahul Choudhary, who lived alone in the flat, was arrested for illegally growing cannabis and selling it through the dark web.
DCP (Greater Noida) Saad Miya Khan mentioned they received a tip-off about Choudhary planning to deliver a package to a customer. They were unaware of his cannabis cultivation in his rented residence. Police set up a trap near Kachnar Estate in Greater Noida and arrested Choudhary around 10:30 am after he handed over a packet to a customer.
During the interrogation, Choudhary admitted that he cultivated the cannabis himself in his apartment. A team of twelve police officers was quickly sent to search his rented home. Upon entering, they were astonished by the complex setup they discovered. There were around 80 cannabis plants valued between Rs 50 lakh and 60 lakh, along with ganja, OG (a type of marijuana), various chemicals, fertilizers, seeds, and the necessary equipment for cultivation. The plants were numbered according to their variety, and he had installed artificial lighting and set his air conditioner to maintain the ideal temperature for growth.
DCP Khan mentioned that Choudhary holds a postgraduate degree in English. He previously operated a restaurant in Greater Noida, which closed due to the Covid pandemic. During this time, he began to delve into the dark web, watch movies, and read about cannabis cultivation.
Originally from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, Choudhary had been living apart from his wife and two children. He told the police that he began growing cannabis four months ago and that this was his first harvest. DCP Khan stated that Choudhary ordered the seeds online from a foreign website called Seedsman and made the payment using PayPal. The cost of cultivating the cannabis plants was between Rs 5,000 and Rs 6,000, and he planned to sell them online for Rs 50,000 to Rs 60,000.
“Choudhary informed us that he would find customers via the dark web and meet them in various chat rooms,” added a police officer. During the raid, the police recovered 2.070 grams of illegal cannabis and 163.4 grams of OG. Choudhary has been charged under Section 20 of the NDPS Act.
