Cannabis 'nursery' busted: How Noida man set up sophisticated operation inside rented flat

A total of 80 ganja plants together with over 2kg of cannabis were captured from his flat on the 10th floor of Parsvnath Panorama society

Police arrested a Greater Noida man on Tuesday for illegally cultivating cannabis inside his rented apartment. The accused, Rahul Chaudhary, had reportedly set up an elaborate cultivation system using planters in his flat.

Chaudhary, who holds an English degree, is originally from Meerut district. A total of 80 ganja plants together with over 2kg of cannabis were captured from his flat on the 10th floor of Parsvnath Panorama society, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Greater Noida) Saad Miya Khan said, according to PTI.

The accused had been cultivating cannabis for about six months. He was inspired by web series and crime dramas to get into the illegal cultivation of the contraband in his apartment, the DCP said.

Chaudhary was detained near the P-3 roundabout in the Beta-2 area by the local Beta-2 police station officials along with those from Ecotech-1 police station and in coordination with the Anti-Narcotics Team of the district, Khan stated.

The residence of Chaudhary was also raided by police, who seized nearly 2.070 kg of cannabis and 163.4 grams of high-grade 'OG' cannabis. Chaudhary was using advanced aeroponic techniques, which he learned through online resources, to cultivate cannabis in a fully controlled environment, the DCP said.

He had created a sophisticated indoor growing operation, equipped with systems to control temperature, light, and humidity levels within the flat. The setup allowed him to cultivate cannabis hydroponically - without using soil.

The seeds were ordered by Chaudhary allegedly from international websites and he leveraged encrypted messaging platforms to communicate with buyers to avoid detection. Chaudhary used the dark web for his operations, Khan said.

The setup would cost between Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000 per plant, yielding high-quality cannabis that sold for upwards of Rs 60,000 per 30-gram yield, the officer said.

According to an Indian Express report, the accused (46) earlier ran an eatery in Greater Noida. However, that shut down during the Covid pandemic. Following this, he got inclined towards cannabis cultivation, reading books and watching movies on the same.

The report further revealed that the accused would arrange customers through the dark web and would meet them in different chat rooms. A case has been filed under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and further legal proceedings are underway, Khan said.

A detailed investigation into the links and network of the accused is also ongoing, he added.