A similar darknet-based drugs trafficking racket was unearthed by the agency in 2021 leading to the arrest of 40 persons. Shah said the success was a result of a “great coordination between cyber vigilance and human intelligence…As the darknet and cryptocurrencies were used to trade these drugs”. He reportedly used TAILS OS (a security-focused operating system that leaves no digital footprint), encrypted storage devices, cryptocurrency wallets, and multiple email aliases to cover his tracks. The Ketamelon case has highlighted both the opportunities and dangers of modern technology. While digital anonymity has opened new doors for crime, it has also forced law enforcement agencies to adopt cutting-edge methods to stay ahead.
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While the surface web includes everyday websites and the deep web comprises password-protected platforms like banking portals, the dark web is intentionally kept anonymous. “The NCB is looking at freezing at least ₹50 crore worth of assets,” the sources said. “The modus operandi of the drug traffickers included the use of Darknet, cryptocurrency, digital media, UPIs and fake KYC documents as well as post and courier services,” the sources said.
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Authorities revealed that numerous Malayalis are involved in such illegal dealings. These transactions often involve not only narcotics but also malware distribution, child sexual abuse material, counterfeit luxury goods, and illegal data sales. The LSD blots (a small piece of absorbent paper impregnated with lysergic acid diethylamide, or LSD) seized by NCB sleuths bore the imprint Gunga Din and Rudyard Kipling. In recent years, NCB officials have observed that each consignment of LSD — a psychedelic drug — bears the imprint (name or symbol) of the main supplier. Launched in 2023, STYX focuses on financial crime, providing stolen credit card data, hacked bank accounts and access to various cryptocurrency laundering tools. NCB had busted a similar darknet-based LSD cartel named Zambada in 2023 and it had arrested 14 persons in the case apart from seizing 29,013 LSD blots, 472 grams of MDMA and ₹51.38 lakh in cash.
If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle. Over the past 14 months, Ketamelon is believed to have dispatched nearly 600 consignments to cities like Bengaluru, Chennai, Patna, Bhopal, Delhi, and remote regions in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
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Apart from the dark web markets that are operating online today, some raided platforms influenced many markets. It maintains a very strict level of user verification and integration with an official Telegram account to provide real-time updates to users. Various cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Monero can be used to make purchases. Security researchers have been monitoring forums within the cybercriminal underworld to investigate the leading markets operating in 2024.
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Investigations are on to identify the end-users and other operatives,” an NCB officer said. Edison Babu, a former engineer, was unmasked as the mastermind behind ‘Ketamelon,’ India’s top-tier darknet drug empire. He exploited the government postal service to distribute drugs across the country, highlighting a vulnerability in the system. Authorities seized substantial amounts of drugs and cryptocurrency, revealing the sophistication of digital drug dealing and the challenges in combating it. “Among the material seized were multiple cryptocurrency wallets, hard disks with incriminating documents and a hardware wallet containing USDT cryptocurrency valued at Rs 70 lakh,” the official said. In a significant crackdown against darknet-enabled narcotics trade, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has busted India’s top-ranked darknet drug vendor operating under the alias “Ketamelon”.
- Users often report “hearing” colors or “seeing” sounds due to their intense psychological effects.
- The seized contraband drugs have an estimated street value of approximately Rs 35.12 lakhs, officials added.
- These cartels collect money in various crypto wallets and then transfer it across through various layers of virtual currencies and finally receive the money in their bank accounts, an NCB officer said.
- There’s also a privacy angle—some users live in countries with censorship or surveillance, and the dark web gives them a space to communicate or access information more freely.
- Two persons linked to the syndicate have been arrested till now, the agency confirmed.
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Neighbors described him as “bookish” and “hardworking,” and none had any inkling of his secret criminal career. This underscores a critical shift in the profile of India’s new-generation cyber criminals—educated, technically skilled individuals who blend seamlessly into mainstream society. What made Ketamelon’s enterprise particularly difficult to trace was the hybrid approach Babu adopted. While the initial orders, payments, and communications were meticulously anonymized using state-of-the-art technology, the delivery mechanism was almost quaint—he relied on India’s government postal system to ship drugs in carefully disguised packages.
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NCB’s deputy DG Singh said the latest seizure of about 15,000 LSD blots is 2,500 times of the commercial quantity. The deputy DG further said that till now, the highest seizure of LSD was 5,000 blots by the Karnataka Police during the entire span of 2021 and about a similar amount of blots by the Kolkata NCB in 2022 in a single operation. 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. “Due to intensified vigilance and improved coordination, drug seizures have exponentially increased in India in the last few years,” the home minister said on Twitter.
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Sustained vigilance, enhanced cybercriminal expertise, and expanded inter-agency cooperation are essential to prevent recurrence and achieve a drug‑resilient India. Authorities estimate that over 600 items were delivered across the country, taking use of postal system flaws to achieve scale and stealth. On the financial side, the network funneled funds through privacy-focused digital assets like Monero, while also using wallet-hopping and obfuscation techniques. In a major breakthrough against crime, India’s Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), with support from the Data Security Council of India (DSCI) and assistance from Binance, dismantled “Ketamelon,” the country’s most sophisticated darknet drug network. The operation unmasked Edison Babu, a former engineer from Kerala, as the mastermind behind a sprawling online drug empire disguised as an e-commerce business.
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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.
- 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.
- These transactions often involve not only narcotics but also malware distribution, child sexual abuse material, counterfeit luxury goods, and illegal data sales.
- Launched after the takedown of AlphaBay in 2021, Abacus Market has rapidly risen to prominence.
- Monero is a privacy-centric crypto designed to mask transaction details, making it a preferred payment method for darknet drug dealers and cybercriminals.
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The NCB then zeroed in on the “Zambada” cartel whose conduits were operating from Delhi and nearby areas. 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.
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.
