NCB busts ‘Ketamelon’ darknet drug syndicate, 2 held in raids

Although the company didn’t reveal the id of the 2 accused citing ongoing raids throughout completely different states, officers stated they’ve recovered 1,127 LSD blots, 131.66 grams of ketamine contraband, and digital belongings value round ₹70 lakh.

Ketamelon, in line with NCB officers, was the nation’s solely Degree-4 darknet vendor—a top-tier standing in India—working actively over the previous two years on the darknet.

“The identify derives from the seller’s (arrested accused) early involvement in Ketamine smuggling. Medicine had been primarily sourced from a UK-based vendor Gunga Din, a recognized reshipper of the globally notorious Dr Seuss (also called DS or Tribe Seuss), believed to be the biggest LSD supply on this planet,” Neeraj Gupta, deputy director basic of NCB, stated.

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. Gunga Din is a well-known 1890 poem by Kipling. In recent times, NCB officers have noticed that every consignment of LSD — a psychedelic drug — bears the imprint (identify or image) of the primary provider.

Within the current case, Gupta stated that after the orders had been obtained on darknet, the LSD blots had been despatched to patrons by means of couriers. Probe thus far has revealed that the accused had bought the LSD blots to patrons in Bengaluru, Chennai, Bhopal, Patna, Delhi, in addition to areas in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

“During the last 14 months, 600 shipments had been delivered. The estimated road worth of the seized medicine is roughly ₹35.12 lakh, with LSD blots priced at ₹2,500- ₹4,000 every,” the officer added.

The federal company stated that following a particular intelligence, its officers from the Cochin zone on June 28 intercepted three postal parcels in Kochi, carrying 280 LSD blots. The probe revealed the id of the Ketamelon darknet operator, whose home was raided the next day, throughout which NCB officers discovered 847 extra LSD blots and 131.66 grams of Ketamine, the company added.

LSD — additionally generally generally known as acid, blots, and stamps — is a potent hallucinogenic drug, with none color, style or scent. It’s painted or dipped into stamps and licked or swallowed by customers.

In 2023, NCB busted the then largest darknet-based LSD cartel named “Zambada”, and seized 29,013 blots, 472 grams of MDMA and ₹51.38 lakh in money and arrested 14 individuals in numerous operations.