An Indian grocery store owner and his son have been sentenced in Australia for their involvement in a drug and illicit tobacco racket uncovered by authorities earlier this year. The duo, based in South Australia, were found guilty of importing and distributing opium—some of it disguised as the controversial Ayurvedic preparation Kamini Vidrawan Ras alongside large quantities of illegal tobacco products. Their operation involved the sale of banned substances under the guise of traditional remedies.
The investigation began in January 2024 when Australian Border Force (ABF) officers executed a search warrant at the family’s Indian grocery and takeaway store in Plympton, Adelaide. Authorities discovered 2.2 kilograms of opium in both paste and pellet form, 29 kilograms of illicit tobacco, and over 2,000 illegal cigarettes. CCTV footage from the shop revealed the son actively selling these products to customers. Further raids at their Trott Park residence uncovered another 432 grams of opium, while a storage unit in Reynella, rented by the father, yielded an additional 3.5 kilograms of opium and 20 kilograms of tobacco.
ABF released images showing rows of the seized ‘Kamini’ packets, highlighting the scale of the illegal operation. The case has raised concerns over the misuse of imported Ayurvedic products as a front for banned narcotics. Authorities have reiterated their commitment to cracking down on such illicit activities and protecting communities from the dangers of unregulated substances disguised as cultural or medicinal items.
