Homegrown cannabis: Darknet, bitcoins used to procure seeds from abroad

The investigation into the case of allegedly growing cannabis inside a house in Chembur revealed that the accused had used bitcoins to buy the cannabis seeds from the Darknet. Bitcoins are considered as the costliest crypto currency and its value is around Rs 5 lakh per unit.

Crime branch unit 3 arrested Nikhil Sharma, 26 on Saturday while his accomplice Frenikx Rajaiya, 26 was arrested on Monday.

Their investigation revealed that the duo used the Darknet site named ‘EMPIRE MARKET’ to order mephedrone, while the cannabis seeds were ordered from a site named CANN of Darknet. The investigation further revealed that the seeds and equipments were ordered from abroad and the payment was made through bitcoins.

On Saturday, when the crime branch sleuths raided Sharma’s residence in Mahul Gaon in Chembur they were shocked to find a plant of cannabis inside his house. According to the crime branch officer, Sharma was growing cannabis using an advanced technology called hydroponics at his friend’s house.

Crime branch has seized a kilogram of cannabis and 54 grams of mephedrone worth Rs 2.90 lakh from the house. They have also seized the equipments used to grow cannabis inside house worth Rs 6 lakh. The equipments include three hydroponic grow system tents, potted plants, LED lights, timers, PH soil tester, hydroponic nutrients, seeds of different types of cannabis and paper towels used for planting the seeds.

According to the crime branch officer, the equipments were bought from China, while the seeds were bought from Australia and New Zealand. The seeds are only meant for the hydroponic system and the ganja they produce is stronger than the naturally grown one. The accused were doing this operation over the past years.