Over the past 14 months, more than 600 drug consignments were delivered to major cities including Bengaluru, Chennai, Bhopal, Patna, Delhi, and parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The team includes cyber security specialists, ethical hackers, and cyber professionals. Authorities revealed that numerous Malayalis are involved in such illegal dealings.
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Treasury Department sanctioned Russian hosting provider Aeza Group, accusing it of facilitating ransomware attacks and darknet drug markets that targeted victims worldwide. Edison allegedly sourced drugs from global suppliers, laundered proceeds via privacy coin Monero (XMR), and shipped narcotics to cities across India. The agency’s efforts to disrupt the supply chain of synthetic drugs and cryptocurrency transactions will continue to be a priority in the pursuit of a ‘Drug-Free India’ as envisioned by the central government.
India’s Biggest Darknet Drug Bust: Know What LSD And Ketamine Really Do To Your Brain And Body
Users report sensing colours or hearing sounds, often accompanied by intense emotions and distorted perception of space and time. Seventeen people were arrested, including kingpins, traffickers, white-collar criminals, two Afghan heroin processing experts and members of the alleged Jaggu Bhagwan Puria gang. The seizure in the case included about 34.5 kg of heroin, 5.5 kg morphine, 0.6 kg opium, 23.6 kg narcotics powder, acetic anhydride, bullets and magazines. “It was busted in an operation that detected and dismantled the drug market on the Darknet and on social media run by anonymous and professional traffickers, and home delivery network,” they said. NCB officials said ‘Ketamelon’ was India’s only Level 4 darknet vendor — kind of a top-tier status — operating “actively” over the past two years. Founded in 2014, BriansClub remains one of the oldest and most infamous dark web markets for stolen credit cards, fullz (complete identity kits), and dumps.
- They use pseudonymous wallets, privacy coins (like Monero), mixers, chain-hopping, and non-KYC platforms to obscure transaction trails.
- The NCB’s investigation began after intercepting 280 LSD blots from three postal parcels in Cochin on June 28, 2025.
- A total of 14,961 blots were seized as part of the about two-week long operation and the blots are of “gammagoblin and holy spirit of asura” brand, Singh said.
- The estimated street value of the seized drugs is approximately Rs 35.12 lakh, with LSD blots priced at Rs 2,500-4,000 each.
- The estimated street value of the seized drugs is approximately ₹35.12 lakhs, with LSD blots priced at ₹2,500–₹4,000 each.
NCB Makes India’s ‘Largest-Ever’ LSD Seizure, Recovers 15,000 Blots Worth Rs 10 Crore
The identified assets include 45 properties, many front businesses, including liquor brands, real estate, pubs and restaurants and 190 bank accounts. The highlight of the operation was the coordination with foreign drug liaison officers, and excellent coordination among various zonal units of the NCB and State police forces for simultaneous operations, the sources said. National Disaster Response Force divers were also used for retrieving crucial evidence from deep waters. “The bureau is carrying out operations against drug cartels under the direct supervision of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, pursuant to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to put an end to narcotics trade in the country,” they said. “The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has busted an international criminal gang that dealt in drugs using DarkNet and cryptocurrency with linkages in several countries as well as multiple States in India,” sources said.
How To Protect Your Identity While Browsing The Dark Web
‘Zambada’ intended to open an Indian ‘outlet’ of Dr Seuss with a minimum stock of one lakh LSD blots. It has ‘outlets’ in the UK, USA, South Africa, Canada, Russia, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Turkey, according to DDG Singh. The NCB said the cartel’s name is derived from Ismael-Marlo Zambada Garcia, a Mexican drug lord, and he was the last remaining fugitive on the list of Mexico’s 37 most wanted drug criminals. “The cartel was being operated by young educated men in the age bracket of years,” he said.
He used to source large quantities of synthetic drugs through the darknet and sell them to his customers. He used to receive the drugs through international couriers, the NCB source said. Investigations revealed he had a deep understanding of darknet culture, advanced digital security, and international drug sourcing.
What Is Dark Web Drug Trafficking And How Is Kerala Police Responding After The Ketamelon Bust?
The NCB also urged citizens to report any narcotics-related activity by calling the MANAS – National Narcotics Helpline at 1933, assuring that the identity of informants would be kept strictly confidential. Check the score based on the company’s fundamentals, solvency, growth, risk & ownership to decide the right stocks. The operation was carried out by the Amritsar Commissionerate Police in close coordination with the Border Security Force (BSF) and Rajasthan Police. According to police, the consignment was linked to a Pakistan-based smuggler, Tanveer Shah, and a Canada-based handler, Joban Kaler.
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The agency then tracked down their handler from Ballabgarh in Haryana’s Faridabad. During the subsequent raids, 13,863 LSD blots, 428 gm of MDMA and ₹26.73 lakh were seized. The NCB’s ability to adapt with coordinated postal surveillance, digital forensics, and crypto-tracing signals progress, but also highlights persistent vulnerabilities. Sustained vigilance, enhanced cybercriminal expertise, and expanded inter-agency cooperation are essential to prevent recurrence and achieve a drug‑resilient India.
In a significant breakthrough, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has successfully dismantled India’s most prolific darknet drug syndicate operating under the alias ‘Ketamelon’. The NCB Delhi zonal office conducted multiple raids at the premises of these three persons leading to the seizure of 13,863 LSD blots, 428 grams MDMA (ecstasy), and the freezing of Rs 26.73 lakh “drug money”, agency officials said. “In continued operations, it was learnt that the largest cartel operating in LSD on the darknet – Zambada- operates from Delhi-NCR,” Singh said. “Two of the ground operators of this cartel were identified through technical and human surveillance and this led to the location of the ‘mastermind’ of this cartel who was operating from Ballabgarh (Faridabad) in Haryana,” he said.
Drugs were primarily sourced from UK-based vendor Gunga Din, a known reshipper of the globally infamous Dr Seuss (also known as DS or Tribe Seuss) which is believed to be the largest LSD source in the world, the NCB said. Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in india news andworld News on Zee News. NCB’s deputy DG Singh said the latest seizure of about 15,000 LSD blots is 2,500 times of the commercial quantity.
- Binance’s intelligence bridged significant gaps between digital trails and on-ground authorities.
- “One is a student who is from Goa but enrolled at a private university in Noida, another is a Delhi boy who was trying to send some of these blots to Kashmir and a girl who has been arrested from the NCR,” the zonal director said.
- Zambada had a five-star rating in darknet marketplaces and was based out of Delhi-NCR.
- Believe it or not, some dark web marketplaces have pretty advanced systems for building trust.
- The estimated street value of the seized drugs is about ₹35.12 lakh, with LSD blots priced at ₹2,500-₹4,000 each.
Delhi: NCB Dismantles India’s Most Prolific Darknet Drug Syndicate Ketamelon
These statistics were presented in response to parliamentary questions from opposition MP Jose K. Mani, who inquired about the increasing use of technology in drug trafficking activities. This came a day after Punjab Police seized a huge amount of drugs in a major operation to crackdown on cross-border narcotics smuggling. Darknet drug vendors are ranked from 1 to 5 stars based on the potency of drugs sold and customer satisfaction, similar to e-commerce platforms. NCB officials confirmed that ‘Ketamelon’ was India’s only Level 4 darknet vendor — a top-tier status in India — operating actively over the past two years. According to a senior NCB officer, the agency, after weeks of intelligence gathering, intercepted three postal parcels in Cochin on June 28, containing 280 LSD blots. Acting swiftly, they raided the suspect’s residence on June 29, uncovering a further 847 LSD blots, Ketamine and a trove of digital evidence.
The name originated from the vendor’s early involvement in Ketamine smuggling. Drugs were sourced from Gunga Din, a UK-based vendor affiliated with “Dr Seuss” or “Tribe Seuss”, the world’s most notorious LSD supplier. The NCB’s financial investigation has also identified Hawala network money payment channels and a group of companies involved in it.
