Two persons linked to the syndicate have been arrested till now, the agency said. In the present case, Gupta said that once the orders were received on darknet, the LSD blots were sent to buyers through couriers. Probe so far has revealed that the accused had sold the LSD blots to buyers in Bengaluru, Chennai, Bhopal, Patna, Delhi, as well as regions in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Cybersecurity experts should pay close attention to these trends, as they often indicate emerging threats and profit-generating tactics among the cybercriminal forums.
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Apart from the LSD blots, 2.32 kgs of ganja and Rs 4.65 lakh cash have been seized while bank deposits worth Rs 20 lakh have been frozen, the deputy DG said. As dark web crimes grow in scale and complexity, experts warn that India needs to invest more in digital forensics, inter-agency coordination, and public awareness campaigns to keep the internet safe. A key addition to this strategy is “Grapnel”, an AI-based software tool designed to track activities on the dark web in real time. Grapnel scans and indexes hidden websites and forums, flagging potential threats such as drug sales, child exploitation content, counterfeit currency, and hacking services. The NCB’s operation comes amid a global crackdown on cybercrime infrastructure linked to cryptocurrency. According to the NCB, the drugs were allegedly sourced from ‘Gunga Din’, a UK-based supplier linked to Dr Seuss aka DS or Tribe Seuss, the world’s largest LSD distributor.
Drug Trafficking In The Country
Some dark web marketplaces even host content that’s not just illegal but extremely harmful, so it’s really important to understand the risks before diving in. Others are looking for stolen data, hacking services, or even banned books and political content. LSD is odourless, colourless and tasteless and can be painted onto small squares of paper that people lick or swallow and it alters the sense of space, distance and time. The bust has not only revealed the vast scale of online narcotics trading in India but also raised urgent concerns about the security challenges posed by the hidden corners of the internet. The NCB’s bust follows a four-month investigation during which authorities tracked Edison’s operations, which allegedly included over 600 drug consignments to cities like Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, and Himachal Pradesh. The NCB’s investigation began after intercepting 280 LSD blots from three postal parcels in Cochin on June 28, 2025.
Breaking down the figures, the NCB reported three cases in 2020, 49 in 2021, eight in 2022, 21 in 2023, and 11 cases up until April 2024. However, the data does not specify the exact number of cases that were exclusively related to the darknet or cryptocurrency. These contrabands 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 official statement added. LSD is an odourless, colourless and tasteless drug and the person consuming it can lose the sense of time, distance and space, the agency said. “This seizure highlights the deep web’s evolving threat and the NCB’s enhanced cyber and financial surveillance capabilities,” the officer said.
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Garcia is stated to be in ‘close contact’ with a darknet operator called Dr Seuss alias DS and TS (Tribe Seuss) or Gamma Goblin- who is the largest source of LSD across the globe. The bust has exposed how deeply entrenched darknet-facilitated narcotics trade has become, and officials believe more shocking revelations could follow. Investigators also found evidence of custodial wallets on global platforms like Binance, which are now under scrutiny.
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- 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 cartel primarily dealt in LSD, which it sourced from international darknet wholesalers.
- 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.
- New software tools have been developed under cyber experts’ guidance to track and apprehend individuals involved in these transactions.
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.
Resembling conventional e-commerce platforms, illicit marketplaces list narcotics, post customer reviews, and promise discreet delivery. Cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin are typically used for transactions to ensure user anonymity. Launched after the takedown of AlphaBay in 2021, Abacus Market has rapidly risen to prominence. It features over 40,000 listings including narcotics, counterfeit items, hacking tools, and stolen data. The marketplace is well-known for its bug bounty programs and robust security mechanisms, including mandatory 2FA. Launched in September 2022, Torzon Market operates on the Tor network and features over 11,600 illegal products, including drugs and hacking tools.
The Cyber Express News
Its origins can be traced back to the 1990s, through research funded by the United States Department of Defense. The aim was to develop an encrypted communication network for intelligence operatives. This initiative evolved into the Tor network, now used globally—for both legitimate and illegal activities. The dark web, unlike the surface web and deep web, is a concealed part of the internet requiring specific tools such as Tor (The Onion Router) to access. 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.
Abacus Market
Authorities estimate that the syndicate carried out over 700 transactions, with street values running into ₹5 to ₹10 crore. The operation came to light after NCB intercepted three suspicious packages in Kochi on June 28. A subsequent raid on Edison’s residence uncovered 1,127 LSD blotters, 131 grams of Ketamine, and cryptocurrency wallets holding about ₹70 lakh.
“The name derives from the vendor’s (arrested accused) early involvement in Ketamine smuggling. Drugs were primarily sourced from a UK-based vendor Gunga Din, a known reshipper of the globally infamous Dr Seuss (also known as DS or Tribe Seuss), believed to be the largest LSD source in the world,” Neeraj Gupta, deputy director general of NCB, said. No, black market websites operate illegally and pose high risks of scams, fraud, and law enforcement action. Apart from the dark web markets that are operating online today, some raided platforms influenced many markets.
“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. “Zambada intended to open an Indian outlet of Dr. Seuss wherein he would have maintained a minimum stock of 1 lakh LSD blots.
The cartels on darknet, as per the investigators, are rated on a scale of 1 to 5 star based on their potency of drugs sold and their customer service. On darknet platforms, drug syndicates are rated between 1 and 5 stars based on the potency of their products and customer service. LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), commonly known as acid or blots, is a powerful hallucinogen that distorts perceptions of time, space, and senses. Users often report “hearing” colors or “seeing” sounds due to their intense psychological effects. As per officials, Ketamelon was the only Level 4 darknet vendor operating in India, a top-tier status based on global darknet vendor rankings. The Narcotics Control Bureau has achieved a major breakthrough by dismantling India’s most prolific darknet drug syndicate operating under the alias “Ketamelon”, officials said on Tuesday.
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. The NCB’s success in tracking down Ketamelon underscores the expanding capabilities of authorities in monitoring and disrupting cryptocurrency-facilitated illicit trade. 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.
