Biggest Drug Haul In 2 Decades, Trade Through Dark Net, Cryptocurrency

An associate of this drug syndicate would reach out to you through Instagram asking if you wanted drugs. If you expressed interest, the conversation would shift to the private messaging app 'Wicker Me'. The payment would then be made through cryptocurrency and the drug, mostly LSD, would be imported from Netherlands or Poland.

This is how the drug trafficking network, busted by the Narcotics Control Bureau today, used to operate pan-India. The operation resulted in the largest-ever drug bust by the NCB in two decades, who seized 15,000 blots of LSD.

LSD or lysergic acid diethylamide is a synthetic chemical based-drug and is categorised as a hallucinogen.

Six people, some of them students, have been arrested from various cities in India.

The mastermind of the cartel was arrested from Jaipur. During the investigation, the agency learnt that the cartel used to advertise on the dark net and also reach out to Instagram users who they thought could be potential buyers.

Darknet refers to the deep hidden internet platform that is used for  sale of drugs, exchange of pornographic content, and other illegal activities by using the secret alleys of the onion router (ToR) to stay away from the surveillance of law enforcement agencies.

The six arrested are all tech-savvy and used to use private messaging apps and hidden websites to evade the authorities.

Possession of 0.1 grams of LSD, which is the commercial quantity for the hallucinogenic drug, invites strict punishment. An NCB official said the seizure of 15,000 LSD blots is 2,500 times the commercial quantity.

The LSD seized by NCB is worth nearly Rs 10.50 crore.