Two students held with LSD stamps
The accused have been identified as Midhun Raj, 22, of Kottayam, a student of BCA Cyber Security, and Abhishek Vathedath, 21, of Alappuzha, who is pursuing BSc in Information Technology.
Police sources said the duo was taken into custody while on their way to the railway station after allegedly sourcing the drugs from yet-to-be-identified local peddlers in the city. The two allegedly turned to drug trafficking after using the substances together for some time, they added.
Officers from the Kozhikode Town police station, who were part of the flash inspection, said a detailed investigation was under way to trace other suspected drug dealers and buyers linked to the students. They added that the seized LSD stamps, weighing 1.69 grams, carried a market value of ₹2 lakh.
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Hindustan Times
16 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
NCB busts ‘Ketamelon' darknet drug syndicate, 2 held in raids
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has busted India's most-prolific drugs syndicate being operated on darknet under the name of 'Ketamelon', and arrested two accused, including a Kochi resident who was running the network on dark web, officials said on Tuesday. Officials said they have recovered 1,127 LSD blots, 131.66 grams of ketamine contraband, and digital assets worth around ₹ 70 lakh. (HT PHOTO) Though the agency did not divulge the identity of the two accused citing ongoing raids across different states, officials said they have recovered 1,127 LSD blots, 131.66 grams of ketamine contraband, and digital assets worth around ₹ 70 lakh. Ketamelon, according to NCB officials, was the country's only Level-4 darknet vendor—a top-tier status in India—operating actively over the past two years on the darknet. 'The name derives from the vendor's (arrested accused) 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 (also known as DS or Tribe Seuss), believed to be the largest LSD source in the world,' Neeraj Gupta, deputy director general of NCB, said. 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 famous 1890 poem by Kipling. In recent years, NCB officials have observed that each consignment of LSD — a psychedelic drug — bears the imprint (name or symbol) of the main supplier. In the present case, Gupta said that once the orders were received on darknet, the LSD blots were sent to buyers through couriers. Probe so far has revealed that the accused had sold the LSD blots to buyers in Bengaluru, Chennai, Bhopal, Patna, Delhi, as well as regions in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. 'Over the last 14 months, 600 shipments were delivered. The estimated street value of the seized drugs is approximately ₹ 35.12 lakh, with LSD blots priced at ₹ 2,500- ₹ 4,000 each,' the officer added. The federal agency said that following a specific intelligence, its officials from the Cochin zone on June 28 intercepted three postal parcels in Kochi, carrying 280 LSD blots. The probe revealed the identity of the Ketamelon darknet operator, whose house was raided the following day, during which NCB officials found 847 more LSD blots and 131.66 grams of Ketamine, the agency added. LSD — also commonly known as acid, blots, and stamps — is a potent hallucinogenic drug, without any colour, taste or smell. It is painted or dipped into stamps and licked or swallowed by users. In 2023, NCB busted the then biggest darknet-based LSD cartel named 'Zambada', and seized 29,013 blots, 472 grams of MDMA and ₹ 51.38 lakh in cash and arrested 14 people in different operations.
Time of India
18 hours ago
- Time of India
NCB busts major LSD darknet vendor, seizes over 1,100 ‘stamps'
New Delhi: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) busted a major darknet-based drug syndicate named Ketamelon, which supplied drugs to distributors and end users across the country. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The syndicate shipped LSD to major cities, delivering 600 shipments in 14 months, the probe revealed. The suspects revealed that they sourced the drugs from a UK-based vendor, 'Gunga Din', a known re-shipper of the globally infamous Dr. Seuss (aka DS or Tribe Seuss), believed to be the largest LSD source in the world. The operation resulted in the seizure of 1,127 LSD blots and 131.66 grams of Ketamine, with an estimated value of Rs 35 lakhs. Additionally, digital assets worth Rs 70 lakhs were seized, including USDT cryptocurrency. Two suspects were taken into custody, and further investigation is in progress," said a senior officer. Ketamelon, the NCB said, was India's only Level-4 darknet vendor, operating actively over the past two years, deriving its name from the vendor's early involvement in Ketamine smuggling. Ketamelon established a widespread network, shipping LSD to Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Bhopal, and Patna, besides Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. T Tired of too many ads? go ad free now he investigation began after intercepting 280 LSD blots from three postal parcels on June 28, 2025. Further probe led to the seizure of 847 more LSD blots and 131.66 grams of Ketamine. Additionally, incriminating materials were recovered, including a pen drive containing a bootable 'Kites' operating system used to access darknet markets, cryptocurrency wallets, and hard disks with incriminating documents. LSD (lysergic diethylamide acid) is the most powerful hallucinogenic drug available. They mostly come as 'stamps', and a sheet of LSD has around 100 of them that people lick or swallow. It is also available in the form of drops and consumed after being poured on sugar cubes. Each LSD stamp or drop is priced at Rs 3,500-5,000, depending upon quality and potency, which is measured in micrograms. The most powerful LSD sold to date has been 1,200 micrograms. An LSD or acid 'trip' is described as a psychedelic experience that alters the state of consciousness, causing significant changes to a person's thoughts and feelings. The experience lasts anywhere between 8 and 12 hours. "LSD alters the sense of space, distance, and time. People say they 'hear' colours or 'see' sounds and have strange feelings and strong emotions," said a source. Earlier in 2023, NCB busted the then biggest darknet-based LSD cartel named "Zambada", seizing 29,013 blots of LSD, 472 grams of MDMA, and Rs 51.38 lakh cash, and arrested 14 persons, out of which the main kingpins are under judicial custody. The Zambada cartel was the only cartel in the country with a 5-star rating most of the time in India, operating from Delhi NCR. Dr. Seuss, aka DS and TS (Tribe Seuss), coordinated with the kingpin of the Zambada cartel with plans to open outlets in India. The cartels on the darknet are rated on a scale of 1 star to 5 stars based on the potency of the drug sold and their customer service.
India Gazette
a day ago
- India Gazette
Delhi: NCB dismantles India's most prolific darknet drug syndicate Ketamelon
New Delhi (India), July 1 (ANI): 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)
