NCB busts 2 int'l drug cartels operating via darknet, arrests 22: MHA

In a major crackdown on the narcotics trade, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) busted 2 international drug cartels operating through the darknet and arrested 22 individuals with a huge cache of 29,103 blots of deadly LSD in the last 3 months, stated a Ministry of Information & Broadcasting release on Tuesday.

Union Home Minister congratulated NCB for this major success against drugs.

In a tweet, Shri Amit Shah said that in the direction of realizing the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi's vision of Drug Free India, this major success has been achieved and it will boost the morale of all the agencies fighting against drugs . Shri Shah added that no matter what advanced technology drug traffickers employ, they can never escape the clutches of our agencies.

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and guidance of Union Home Minister, Ministry of Home Affairs and all the agencies of Government of India are continuously striving in the direction of making Drug Free India. Following the Union Home Minister's directions of adopting top to bottom and bottom to top approach, NCB Delhi zonal unit has busted the largest LSD cartel on Darknet, operating by popular name of 'The ZAMBADA CARTEL'.

The two major Indian LSD cartels on darknet are busted by NCB within just 3 months. In this matter, total 6 cases have been registered by NCB, Delhi Zonal Unit and 22 people, involved in import of Drugs and its pan India distribution, have been arrested till date. Seizure of 29,013 LSD Blots (A record in itself), 472 gms MDMA Powder and drug money worth Rs 51.38 lakh have been done from accused persons, added the MHA release.

This cartel used to contact through Social Media Sites and mode of delivery was primarily couriers on fake addresses / mobile numbers. Payments were received and made only through cryptocurrencies and their conversion thereof and no verbal communications were made amongst the vendors, or vendors and buyers. After intensive cyber patrolling and technical plus field surveillance, an operation was launched on 19th April 2023 which resulted in first success with busting of Second Largest Darknet LSD cartel in the country with recovery of around 15,000 LSD Blots (More than 2500 Times of commercial quantity), 44 gms MDMA and seizure/ freezing of drug money amounting to 24.65 lakhs.

LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) is a hallucinogenic drug which is odorless, colorless, and tasteless. Narcotics Control Bureau as an organization is making an all-out effort to curb menace of the misuse of digital platform.

In order to mitigate the menace of drug trafficking through dark net, NCB had organized DARKATHON with an aim to reward the young fertile minds finding solutions to crack Dark-Net.