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The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has successfully dismantled India's most prolific darknet drug syndicate, "Ketamelon," in a high-impact operation codenamed "MELON".
The operation resulted in the seizure of 1,127 LSD blots and 131.66 grams of Ketamine, with an estimated street value of approximately 35.12 lakhs, along with digital assets worth 70 lakhs, totaling over 1 crore. Following weeks of surveillance and intelligence gathering, 280 LSD blots were intercepted on 28.06.2025 from three postal parcels in Cochin. Investigation in the matter confirmed that these parcels were booked by the suspect. During the search of his house on the next day, i.e., June 29th, 847 more LSD blots and 131.66 grams of Ketamine were seized. In this search, a lot of other incriminating material including a pen drive containing a bootable KITES OS used to access darknet markets, multiple cryptocurrency wallets, hard disks with incriminating documents and most importantly, a hardware wallet holding approximately 70 lakhs worth of USDT cryptocurrency were seized. Additionally, custodial wallets on platforms such as Binance have been identified for further investigation and action. Investigations revealed that "Ketamelon" was India's only Level 4 darknet vendor, a top-tier status in India, operating actively over the past two years. The name derives from the vendor's 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 (aka DS or Tribe Seuss), believed to be the largest LSD source in the world. "Ketamelon" had established a widespread network, shipping LSD to major cities like Bengaluru, Chennai, Bhopal, Patna, Delhi, and regions in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, with over 600 shipments delivered in the last 14 months The estimated street value of the seized drugs is approximately 35.12 lakhs, with LSD blots priced at 2,500-4,000 each. Earlier in 2023, NCB busted the then biggest darknet based LSD cartel named "Zambada", seizing 29,013 blots of LSD, 472 grams of MDMA & Rs.51.38 Lakh cash and arrested 14 persons out of which main kingpins are under judicial custody. Zambada cartel was the only cartel in the country with 5-star rating of most time in India operating from Delhi NCR. Dr Seuss AKA DS and TS (Tribe Seuss) were coordinating with the kingpin of Zambada cartel with plans to open outlets in India. The cartels on darknet are rated on scale of 1 star to 5 star based on their potency of drug sold and their customer service. LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) is a hallucinogenic drug. Hallucinogens change the way people sense the world around them. It is also known as acid, blots, stamps etc. LSD is odourless, colorless, and tasteless. It can be painted onto small squares of paper that people lick or swallow. LSD causes the senses of space, distance, and time to become altered. People might say they "hear" colors or "see" sounds, and have strange feelings and strong emotions. Both suspect and his associate have been taken into custody and further investigation is in progress. This seizure exemplifies NCB's commitment to successfully dismantle the supply of synthetic drugs facilitated via the Darknet and cryptocurrency channels to accomplish the vision of DRUG FREE INDIA. To fight against drug trafficking, NCB seeks support of the citizens. Any person can share information related to the sale of narcotics by calling the MANAS- National Narcotics Helpline Toll Free Number-1933. The identity of the caller is kept confidential. (ANI)
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