02-07-2025
Indian grocery store owner arrested for selling ‘Kamini' opium in Australia
The owner of an Indian grocery store and his son have been sentenced for their roles in a drug and illicit tobacco operation uncovered by Australian authorities earlier this year. The South Australian pair was found to be importing and distributing opium – disguised in part as the controversial 'Ayurvedic' preparation Kamini Vidrawan Ras – alongside large quantities of illegal tobacco. The owner of an Indian grocery store was arrested for selling opium and illegal tobacco in Australia(Australian Border Force)
On June 26, they were sentenced to prison and received additional fines, according to a press release by the Australian Border Force (ABF).
The investigation began in January 2024, when Australian Border Force (ABF) officers executed a search warrant at the family's Indian grocery and takeaway shop in Plympton, Adelaide. Inside, they discovered 2.2kg of opium in paste and pellet form, 29kg of illicit tobacco, and 2,080 illegal cigarettes.
CCTV footage from the premises showed the son selling the products to customers. Subsequent raids at the family's Trott Park residence uncovered another 432g of opium, while a storage locker in Reynella, rented by the father, contained an additional 3.5kg of opium and 20kg of tobacco.
Photos shared by ABF show rows of the 'Kamini' opium packets that were recovered from the father-son duo. What is Kamini and why is it dangerous?
A key product seized in the raids was Kamini Vidrawan Ras, an opium-based preparation. According to a 2023 article published in the Medical Journal of Australia, it has been banned by Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) since 2016.
Kamini tablets contain variable doses of opium – between 2mg and 20mg – and often include toxic heavy metals like mercury, lead, and arsenic.
The article noted that Kamini poses serious health risks, including addiction, overdose, and heavy metal poisoning. The report also noted a rising trend of opioid use disorder linked to Kamini among patients of Indian background, particularly those of Punjabi origin. Sentencing and penalties
The son was sentenced on 26 June 2025 to six months in prison but was released immediately on a Commonwealth Recognisance Release Order (RRO), with a $500 bond and a one-year good behaviour condition. He was also fined $6,000 and ordered to forfeit $23,450 under proceeds of crime legislation.
The father received a three-month sentence, also served on immediate release under an RRO. He was fined $3,000.
What ABF said on the sentencing
ABF Acting Superintendent Steve Garden described the operation as an example of 'intelligence-led policing' that traced the illegal supply chain from importation to street-level sales.
'As Australia's border security agency, we use all available intelligence to end the impact of border crimes in our community, no matter the amount of illicit goods or complexity of the criminal activity," Acting Superintendent Garden said.
'Today's outcome is the result of a sustained, intelligence-led investigation that followed the illicit supply chain from importation to street-level distribution. Every seizure is a step towards safer streets and stronger communities."
