Drug cartel spanning 10 nations busted by NCB after Mandi House arrest
Operation Med Max by the NCB that began in New Delhi's Mandi House nearly a month and a half ago, led to one suspect in the US, the bust of illegal factories in Australia, an illegal call centre in Udupi, and the identification of a money launderer in the US as well as a UAE-based kingpin.
Explaining the investigation trail, a home ministry spokesperson said that on May 25, the agency's operations unit intercepted a car near Mandi House (Bengali Market) in Delhi in which two BPharma students were arrested with 3.7kg of Tramadol tablets. Tramadol has been notified as a drug under the NDPS Act by the finance ministry in April 2018.
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'The arrested individuals confessed to operating a vendor profile on a major Indian B2B platform, from where they sold pharmaceutical pills to clients across the US, Europe, and Australia. Leads from the interrogation led to two chemists in Roorkee, followed by the arrest of a key associate in Mayur Vihar, Delhi, who revealed connections with a contact in Udupi (Karnataka) responsible for organising bulk orders for shipments to the US,' a spokesperson said.
In Udupi, the NCB team found a data trail of these Indian nationals managing deliveries – 29 packages to the US, 18 from Australia and 1 each to be sent to Estonia, Spain and Switzerland – following which the DEA, Interpol and Australian authorities were roped in.
One NCB official, who asked not to be named, said, 'This gang did not ship the medicines within India. They had multiple reshippers in different countries. These reshippers after receiving the controlled drug shipped it within their countries. We are probing the sources of the tablets in India.'
Also Read | STF busts ₹ 1.20 cr cancer-drug smuggling racket in Lucknow, three held
A PIB statement said that acting on NCB's information the US DEA tracked the data trail of the US consignment and arrested a bulk re-shipper and money launderer in Alabama along with a massive haul of controlled medicines. The syndicate operated on encrypted communication platforms such as Telegram, relied on cryptocurrency payments, PayPal, Western Union and used anonymous international drop shippers to evade detection.
In Australia, authorities dismantled a clandestine pill manufacturing unit. 'Controlled drugs such as Tramadol and others were being manufactured there too. Their Indian counterparts were taking orders in bulk and coordinating with the owner for supply within Australia,' the NCB officer said.
Home minister Amit Shah said on X, 'Congratulations to NCB and all agencies on busting a global drug cartel. The probe set a stellar example of multi-agency coordination, resulting in 8 arrests and seizures of 5 consignments while triggering crackdowns in the US and Australia against the ring that operates across 4 continents and 10+ nations. Our agencies are constantly monitoring sophisticated modes like crypto payments and anonymous drop shippers used by these gangs. PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji-led govt is determined to saw off every drug cartel and protect our youth, no matter where they operate from.'
Also Read | 114 smugglers arrested, over 4 kg drugs seized in Punjab's 'Yudh Nashian Virudh' campaign
Replying to Shah's post, the US embassy in India said, 'Thanks to NCB and Indian authorities for helping Americans against illegal drugs and saving American lives.'
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