NCB Busts Global Drug Cartel Spanning 4 Continents, Uses Crypto And Encrypted Apps
The breakthrough began with the interception of a vehicle near Bengali Market in Delhi on May 25, 2025, ultimately uncovering a vast transnational operation with links to India, the US, Australia, and Europe.
The investigation was launched after the NCB HQ Operations Unit intercepted a car near Mandi House, Delhi, based on a tip-off. The vehicle's two occupants, B. Pharma graduates from a reputed Noida-based private university, were found in possession of 3.7 kg of Tramadol tablets--a controlled medication often misused as a narcotic. Their confession exposed a deeper network that involved an online vendor profile on a major Indian B2B platform, used to ship pharmaceutical pills to clients in the United States, Europe, and Australia.
Subsequent leads led NCB to a stockist in Roorkee and an associate in Delhi's Mayur Vihar. Further investigation uncovered a key contact in Udupi, Karnataka, who managed bulk orders for exports. Analysis of seized data from Udupi revealed 50 international consignments 29 within the US, 18 within Australia, and one each to Estonia, Spain, and Switzerland. This intelligence was shared with international counterparts and the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol).
Acting on this information, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) arrested a key operative named Joel Hall, a re-shipper based in Alabama. Authorities seized over 17,000 tablets of controlled medicines from his possession. Multiple crypto wallets and active parcels were recovered, confirming the network's reliance on digital currency and encrypted communications. DEA also intercepted five parcels carrying around 700 grams of Zolpidem, a sedative commonly abused for recreational use.
Meanwhile, a clandestine pill-manufacturing facility linked to the network was busted in Australia by local law enforcement. The factory was found producing tablets for export as part of the syndicate's supply chain. Investigations in other countries are ongoing.
NCB's probe uncovered a multilayered structure with two distinct modules, orders and supply, managed by handlers using encrypted messaging platforms like Telegram and payment systems involving cryptocurrency, PayPal, and Western Union. The syndicate operated a call centre in Udupi, employing approximately 10 staff members, some of whom were reportedly unaware of the criminal operation. Orders placed via the B2B platform were routed through this call centre. Advance payments were made in cryptocurrency, then circulated through supply chain operators who retained a commission before the payments were disbursed to re-shippers in various countries.
According to the NCB, the mastermind who orchestrated the network's logistics and finances from the UAE has been identified, and efforts are ongoing to apprehend him with the assistance of Emirati authorities. Two more Indian nationals were arrested in Jaipur and Delhi in connection with the logistics and supply-side operations. So far, a total of eight individuals have been arrested.
In a strategic move to expand operations, repeat customers were converted into stockists or re-shippers, allowing the syndicate to grow its footprint organically across borders. Several such individuals have been identified by partner agencies abroad.
NCB has also launched financial and cyber investigations to trace cryptocurrency wallets and hawala channels involved in laundering proceeds. Collaborations are underway with private online platforms to shut down illegal pharmacy listings advertising controlled drugs.
This case, authorities say, underlines the growing intersection of digital commerce, encrypted technology, and international logistics in facilitating illicit pharmaceutical trade. It also reinforces the importance of international intelligence-sharing and collaborative enforcement actions.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
19 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
5 facts on Suleiman Shah, the Pahalgam attacker killed in J&K encounter
Security forces on Monday neutralised three terrorists, including Suleiman Shah, the mastermind of the Pahalgam terror attack, during an encounter on the outskirts of Srinagar. Security forces neutralised three terrorists, including Pahalgam attack mastermind Suleman Shah, in an encounter near Srinagar.(Waseem Andrabi/HT ) Acting on specific intelligence, the Indian Army and Jammu and Kashmir Police launched a joint operation, which was codenamed Operation Mahadev in the rugged Lidwas region near Dara, close to Dachigam National Park. Srinagar-based Chinar Corps of the Indian Army confirmed that three terrorists were killed in a fierce gunfight. 'Three terrorists have been neutralised in an intense firefight. Operation continues,' China Corps wrote on X (formerly Twitter). However, sources said one of the slain terrorists has been identified as Suleiman Shah, the mastermind behind the recent Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people dead. Who was Suleman Shah, mastermind of the Pahalgam attack? Suleiman Shah, also known as Hashim Moosa, was the mastermind behind the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 lives, mostly tourists, NDTV reported. Suleiman Shah had previously served in the Pakistan Army, the report added. He was affiliated with the Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Following the attack in Baisaran, the Jammu and Kashmir Police announced a ₹ 20 lakh reward for credible information leading to his whereabouts. 20 lakh reward for credible information leading to his whereabouts. Suleman Shah was believed to be hiding in Central Kashmir's Ganderbal district in the weeks after the attack. 'It is a prolonged operation and is still continuing in which J&K police, paramilitary and army have an exchange of fire (with terrorists) in higher reaches. As per the interior reports, three bodies are being observed and seems to be neutralised. It is an ongoing operation and I would not like to divulge much at this moment. We will share details with you at an opportune time. It will take us some time for identification and all that. The (security) parties are still inside,' IGP Kashmir Vidhi Kumar Birdi told the media.
The Hindu
21 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Tirunelveli ‘honour' killing case: Police sub-inspector couple picked up for inquiry
The Palayamkottai police have picked up for questioning the parents — both Sub-Inspectors of Police — of a youth arrested on charges of murdering a Scheduled Caste (SC) man, who was hacked to death in Tirunelveli on Sunday (July 27, 2025). Sources in the police said that the deceased, C. Kavin Selvaganesh, 27, an IT employee from Arumugamangalam near Eral in Thoothukudi district, had reportedly proposed to the sister of the accused, Surjith, 23. While Kavin worked for a Chennai-based IT company, the woman, a Siddha practitioner, was employed at a private clinic in KTC Nagar, Palayamkottai. She belongs to a community in the Most Backward Caste (MBC) list. When the woman's parents Saravanakumar and Krishnaveni got to know about their daughter's liasion with a Dalit, they reportedly objected to it. What happened on July 27? Kavin had returned to his native village Arumugamangalam to take his ailing grandfather for treatment to the clinic where the woman was working, in KTC Nagar, on Sunday afternoon. Upon learning that Kavin was at the clinic, the woman's younger brother, Surjith, went there and asked him to accompany him for 'conciliation talks.' Kavin was riding a bike along Mangammaal Salai in KTC Nagar, with Surjith riding pillion. After covering some distance on the road leading to the Palayamkottai-Thoothukudi four-lane highway, Surjith allegedly attacked Kavin with a machete. Kavin stopped the two-wheeler and attempted to flee, but Surjith chased him down and hacked him to death. Passersby alerted the Palayamkottai police, who rushed to the spot and apprehended Surjith. He reportedly told the police that Kavin had been harassing his elder sister under the guise of love, and that she did not reciprocate his feelings. 'Since he continued to harass my innocent sister despite her repeated warnings, I murdered Kavin,' police sources quoted him as saying. Family alleges 'honour' killing The post-mortem examination on Kavin's body was performed at Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital on Monday (July 28). The relatives of the deceased, however, claimed to accept the body, alleging that it was an 'honour' killing. 'The couple had been in a relationship since their school days, and it continued up until yesterday. If it was truly unreciprocated love, as her family claims, they could have filed a complaint with the police, especially since the woman's parents are Sub-Inspectors,' said the relatives of the deceased. 'When it became clear to her family that she wanted to marry Kavin, they orchestrated this 'honour' killing. Therefore, the parents should also be arrested,' they added. The police, after arresting Surjit, picked up Saravanakumar and Krishnaveni, who have been cited as accused 2 and 3 in the First Information Report (FIR), for inquiry. First Additional Sessions Judge Sathya, remanded Surjit to judicial custody till August 14. Commissioner of Police, Tirunelveli City, Santosh Hadimani said: 'As of now, we only have the version of the accused. Only further investigation can reveal the details of the case.'
Time of India
27 minutes ago
- Time of India
Cash-for-query case: Trouble mounts for TMC's Mohua Moitra; CBI files chargesheet with Lokpal
TMC leader Mahua Moitra (File photo/PTI) NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday filed a chargesheet with the Lokpal in connection with the alleged 'cash-for-query' scam involving Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mahua Moitra . In response to directives from the anti-corruption ombudsman, the CBI in March last year filed an FIR against Mahua Moitra. The Lokpal had issued instructions to the CBI after reviewing the findings of the agency's preliminary inquiry into allegations raised by BJP Lok Sabha member Nishikant Dubey against Mahua. The Lokpal had directed the CBI to investigate comprehensively all facets of the complaints against her within six months. Dubey has accused Mahua of soliciting cash and gifts from Dubai-based businessman Darshan Hiranandani in exchange for raising questions in the Lok Sabha to criticise industrialist Gautam Adani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi , among others. Mahua has vehemently denied these allegations. The Lokpal, however, after careful consideration, deemed the allegations against Mahua as grave and supported by substantial evidence. It emphasised the need for a thorough investigation, considering Mahua's former position and status. The Lokpal bench, comprising Justice Abhilasha Kumari and members Archana Ramasundaram and Mahender Singh, stressed the importance of probity in public office and the detrimental effects of corruption on democratic functioning. Consequently, the Lokpal directed the CBI to conduct a comprehensive investigation into all allegations and submit a report within six months. The filing of the chargesheet against Mahua marks a significant development in the ongoing controversy surrounding the TMC MP.
