Director, EAGLE Force Sandeep Shandilya, addresses a press conference on the bust of an international hydroponic cannabis smuggling syndicate operating between Thailand and India.
| Photo Credit: SIDDHANT THAKUR
Nearly 300 carriers, 405 flight bookings, more than ₹1 crore spent on air travel, cannabis farms in Thailand, hawala money trails spanning countries, and an alleged ₹30 crore plan to build a Pattaya-style nightclub in Hyderabad’s upscale Kokapet. These are among the findings that have emerged from the Telangana’s EAGLE Force investigation into what police describe as a sprawling international hydroponic cannabis smuggling syndicate operating across India and Thailand.Director of the force Sandeep Shandilya said that they have identified around 40 persons linked to the network and arrested several accused in connection with the case. According to him, the syndicate was allegedly headed by Mumbai-based brothers Hemang Pramod Keluskar and Sudhanshu Pramod Keluskar, who established cannabis cultivation and procurement links in Thailand in 2023 before allegedly creating a vast distribution network across Telangana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and other States.The investigation began after one Mohsin Bahadurbhai Sodha was intercepted at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad, on April 7, 2026, with 13.2 kg of hydroponic cannabis. Subsequent surveillance by EAGLE Force led to the arrest of Prajapti Harshad Mansukhbhai and Sandeep Jaiprakash Vaswani alias Rahul Jain near BHEL Junction, Ramachandrapuram, where 12.739 kg of hydroponic cannabis was seized.Police said the syndicate allegedly recruited carriers from different States, mostly from Gujarat and Telangana, flew them to Thailand. They then arranged their accommodation in Pattaya and handed them luggage containing hydroponic cannabis before routing them back through airports in Hyderabad, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Surat and Kolkata. Investigators alleged that the network deliberately split consignments among multiple couriers to avoid attracting stricter provisions under the NDPS Act.According to investigators, the accused entered the cannabis cultivation business in Thailand under the cover of legal medicinal and commercial cultivation. The probe found that the group had allegedly leased a cultivation chamber capable of growing 144 cannabis plants per cycle under a five-year agreement. Police claim the syndicate subsequently used the produce to supply premium-grade hydroponic cannabis, popularly known as “OG weed”, to affluent customers, party circles and students in Indian cities.The investigation also revealed that the syndicate’s activities allegedly extended far beyond drug trafficking. Sources said that profits generated from hydroponic cannabis sales were routed through hawala channels to finance cultivation, logistics and future consignments. Investigators are also examining links between key accused and organised crime figures in Mumbai, including references to gangsters that surfaced during questioning.Evidence examined by the investigators allegedly showed transfers exceeding 56 lakh Thai Baht into accounts linked to cannabis cultivation businesses.One of the more striking findings of the probe concerns Hyderabad. Investigators alleged that the accused planned to invest between ₹20 crore and ₹30 crore to establish a nightclub in an underconstruction mall in Kokapet modelled on Pattaya’s Jalwa Club. Police said the accused had travelled to Hyderabad in April 2026 and inspected land in Kokapet for the proposed venture just days before a major cannabis consignment was allegedly brought into the city.The EAGLE Force said the probe remains under way to identify additional associates, trace absconding accused and establish the full extent of what investigators believe was one of the country’s most extensive hydroponic cannabis trafficking networks. Published - June 04, 2026 07:59 pm IST
