Biggest drug haul in 2 decades: NCB cracks pan-India drug network that used dark net, cryptocurrency
According to the NCB, a seizure of 15,000 LSD blots, equivalent to 2,500 times the commercial quantity, along with currency amounting to ₹2.4 million was made.
The Narcotics Bureau of India (NCB) has arrested six youngsters in one of the biggest operations done by the agency in the last two decades. The arrested youngsters are allegedly part of a pan-India network that operated via dark web.
The darkweb or darknet is used by criminals for their illicit works as it is an encrypted portion of the internet used to escape surveillance and conduct trades such as this.
The agency has confiscated over 15,000 LSD drug blots along with 4.65kg of imported marijuana and Rs 4.65 lakhs in cash present with the suspects. Rs 20 lakhs deposited in different bank accounts were also sealed.
The network, operated on darknet and made the use of cryptocurrencies for payments, was spread across the US, Poland, the Netherlands, and in various parts of India. NCB deputy director general (Northern range) Gyaneshwar Singh said that the 15,000 LSD blots that the officials have seized are 2,500 times the commercial quantity, which consists of only 5 or 6 blots of LSD.
The highest amount of LSD seized was 5,000 blots by the Karnataka Police in 2021. Singh added that this was the “largest-ever” seizure of LSD blots in the whole country.
“India is slowly becoming a big consumer of LSD, which is dangerous. It is a huge network which was spread across Poland, the USA, Netherlands, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Delhi-NCR, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra”, the NCB official added.
