Anti-narcotics sleuths of the Telangana police, known as the Eagle Force, have dismantled an international criminal network that transitioned from smuggling red sanders out of India to trafficking massive quantities of hydroponic cannabis into the country. The accused, hailing from Mumbai, cultivated the drug in Thailand and smuggled approximately 1,700 kilograms of contraband valued at Rs 1,500 crore into Mumbai via couriers over a span of just three years.
Police officers were astonished to discover that hardened criminals previously associated with the Mumbai underworld were integral to the operation. The gang was led by Hemang Pramod Keluskar, 34, and included his younger brother Sudhanshu, 32, who is currently operating from Pattaya, Thailand. Other key associates were Dal Abdulbhai Sadruddin Bhai, a dock agent from Amreli in Gujarat; Suraj Pal, a former associate of gangster Ashwin Naik from Mumbai; and Rohan Felix D'Costa, a former sharpshooter for gangster Ravi Pujari, also from Mumbai. These individuals assisted the brothers in selecting couriers, transporting the contraband, and executing hawala transactions.
On April 8, customs officials at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad apprehended Sodha Mohsin, who arrived from Bangkok with 13.2 kilograms of hydroponic cannabis in his suitcase. Mohsin's associate, Harshad Prajapati, also arriving from Bangkok, managed to exit the airport with his suitcase containing the drug. Alerted by customs officials, Eagle Force sleuths intercepted Harshad and his associate Sandeep Vaswani at BHEL crossroads while they awaited a bus to Mumbai, seizing 12.7 kilograms of contraband valued at Rs 12.7 crore. The duo confessed to working for Hemang.
During subsequent raids across multiple states, Eagle Force officers arrested 12 additional gang members, including Hemang from Karjat in Maharashtra on April 12. Eagle Force Director Sandeep Shandilya stated that Hemang and his father Pramod Keluskar were previously involved in red sanders smuggling but switched to hydroponic cannabis in 2023 due to significantly higher profit margins. The gang purchased hydroponic cannabis in Thailand for Rs 3 lakh per kilogram and sold it in India for between Rs 80 lakh and Rs 1 crore per kilogram.
In 2023, Hemang and Sudhanshu established a club in Pattaya named Jalwa Club, in partnership with local Thai associates, which became popular among individuals seeking hydroponic cannabis. In February 2024, the brothers launched a company called Cali Goods in Thailand, along with international partners including Chris Woo (South Korean), Steve and Eric (Americans), and Jay and Jhenney (UK citizens). They cultivated and procured hydroponic cannabis from local sources, claiming it was for medical purposes. Sudhanshu then signed an agreement with Oriental Plantation Company Ltd in Thailand in March 2024 and rented a cannabis growing chamber in Nakhon Ratchasima province to cultivate cannabis. The gang also purchased contraband from Oriental Company, packed it in trolley bags, and smuggled it into India through couriers.
The brothers and their associates primarily used couriers from Mumbai, Amreli, Surat, Jabalpur, Ranchi, Ludhiana, and Hyderabad. Investigations revealed that the gang employed 88 couriers, including 14 from Hyderabad, since 2023, and they completed 172 round trips to and from Bangkok. The contraband was sold to elite clientele in Mumbai, and the proceeds were funneled back to Thailand through hawala channels. The gang booked hotels for couriers in Thailand and paid them Rs 20,000 per trip. All 14 couriers from Hyderabad are currently imprisoned. Authorities have yet to arrest Sudhanshu and plan to seek Interpol's assistance to apprehend him and his foreign associates operating from Thailand.
