Indian Grocery Owner, Son Jailed Over ‘Kamini’ Opium Bust In Adelaide

​A South Australian father and son have been sentenced for importing opium and tobacco. Photo: ABF

An Indian grocery store owner and his son have been sentenced for importing opium and tobacco. 

The major Australian Border Force (ABF) investigation that spanned multiple locations in Adelaide began in January 2024 when ABF officers executed a search warrant at an Indian grocery and takeaway store in Plympton. 

Officers uncovered 2.2 kilograms of opium in both paste and pellet form, 29 kilograms of illicit tobacco, and 2,080 illicit cigarettes hidden throughout the shop. CCTV footage revealed the son selling the banned products to customers.

Further searches at the family’s Trott Park residence turned up an additional 432 grams of opium. Investigators then identified a storage locker in Reynella, rented by the father, where they seized another 3.5 kilograms of opium and 20 kilograms of illicit tobacco.

Banned Opium-Containing Herbal Medicine Sezed

ABF seized opium products and illegal tobacco from an Indian grocery store in Adelaide in January 2024. Photo: ABF

The products included “Kamini Vidravana Rasa,” a banned opium-containing herbal medicine often misused as a stimulant. “Kamini Vidravana Rasa" has previously been linked to health warnings from the Therapeutic Goods Administration and SA Health due to risks of mercury and lead poisoning.

The father-son duo faced court on June 26, 2025, and the pair were sentenced. The son received a six-month prison sentence, released immediately on a Commonwealth Recognisance Release Order, and was fined $6,000 for tobacco offences. He was also ordered to forfeit $23,450 under proceeds of crime legislation.

The father was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment, also released on a recognisance order, and fined $3,000.

ABF Acting Superintendent Steve Garden said the operation highlighted the value of intelligence-led policing in dismantling illicit supply chains. “Every seizure is a step towards safer streets and stronger communities,” Garden said, urging the public to report suspicious activities to Border Watch.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration and SA Health have warned of the dangers of opium use, including the risks of addiction, overdose, and exposure to toxic substances in illegally imported products.