The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has busted a big international drug syndicate active on the darknet named ‘Ketamelon. In the joint operation, they confiscated a significant haul of drugs and cryptocurrency. The Cochin zonal unit intercepted three postal parcels seized on June 28th. Inside, they discovered a jaw-dropping 280,000 LSD blots — and soon after, the start of operation ‘Melon’ began.

The very next day, NCB conducted an armed raid on the home of a suspect known to be connected to the parcels. To date, three people linked to the ‘Ketamelon’ network have been arrested.

The total number of seized items have been reported as 1,127 LSD blots and 131.66 grams of Ketamine. Also seized along with the devices was a hardware wallet containing approximately ₹70 lakh worth of USDT cryptocurrency. The estimated market value of the seized drugs is ₹35.12 lakh.

"This was (Ketamelon) one of India's most prolific darknet drugs syndicates. The agency launched an operation codenamed 'Melon' to investigate it after getting primary inputs from the Cochin seizure," - NCB

This operation comes on the heels of an early 2023, similar bust, where the NCB dismantled another darknet-based LSD cartel known as ‘Zambada'. In the ‘Zambada’ case, authorities arrested 14 suspects. They confiscated an astronomical 29,013 LSD blots, 472 grams MDMA, and ₹51.38 lakh in cash.

Darknet drug cartels are rated on a scale of one to five stars. These ratings are based on how potent the narcotics they peddle are and how good their customer service is. These ratings allow darknet buyers to select the best, most trusted vendors.