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The Herald Scotland
02-07-2025
- The Herald Scotland
20 bodies, some decapitated, found after latest Mexican cartel clash
Speaking at a news conference June 30, Sinaloa Secretary General Feliciano Castro Melendez said the incident was "regrettable" and told reporters that authorities were trying to get a handle on the rampant violence. "Military and police forces are working together to reestablish total peace in Sinaloa," he said. Arrest of 'El Mayo' triggered clashes among factions of the Sinaloa Cartel For months, Sinaloa has been the epicenter of bloody clashes between two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, Los Chapitos and La Mayiza. The turf war erupted last summer, after Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, the cofounder and former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, was arrested by federal authorities in Texas. Zambada claims he was kidnapped and delivered by plane to U.S. authorities in a betrayal orchestrated by one of the sons of notorious drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. Zambada remains in custody pending trial on 17 counts of drug trafficking, firearms offenses and money laundering; he has pleaded not guilty. Guzman is serving a life sentence at a maximum security prison in Colorado following his conviction in 2019 on over two dozen drug violations and one murder conspiracy charge. The U.S. has targeted the Sinaloa Cartel for its role in trafficking deadly fentanyl over the border. Fentanyl, which has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans in recent years, is the nation's leading cause of death for those between the ages of 18 and 49, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. New report: Hacker for El Chapo helped boss hunt and kill FBI informants Mexican border city also in the grips of rampant violence Such violent clashes aren't limited to Sinaloa. In the border city of Ciudad Juarez, over 40 homicides in May and June have been linked to a turf war between La Linea, the armed wing of the transnational Juarez Cartel, and a Sinaloa Cartel faction known as Los Cabrera. This week, ABC News first reported that American families who've lost loved ones in violence stemming from Mexican drug cartels called on the State Department to designate La Linea as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, which would open the group up to facing sanctions, immigration restrictions and other penalties. The Sinaloa Cartel was added to the list in February, after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day back in office calling for international cartels to receive the designation. The Trump administration has moved swiftly to clamp down on the cartel, announcing in June sanctions on a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel known as Los Chapitos. The State Department also announced a $10 million reward for information leading to the arrests of the faction's leaders, Archivaldo Ivan Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, two of El Chapo's sons. Contributing: Josh Meyer and Thao Nguyen
Time of India
01-07-2025
- 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.
Qatar Tribune
01-07-2025
- Qatar Tribune
Mexican authorities find 20 bodies in Sinaloa state
Twenty bodies, several of them decapitated, have been found on a highway bridge in the northwestern state of Sinaloa, Mexican authorities say, as rival drug cartel factions fight one another in the area. The Sinaloa state prosecutor's office reported a grisly scene on Monday: Four headless corpses were found on a roadside, 16 bodies were discovered inside an abandoned vehicle near the state capital, Culiacan, and five human heads were found inside a bag. Authorities said the bodies were left with a note, apparently from one of the cartel factions, although the note's contents were not immediately disclosed. Feliciano Castro, a Sinaloa government spokesperson, condemned the killings and said authorities need to examine their strategy for tackling organised crime due to the 'magnitude' of the violence seen. 'Military and police forces are working together to re-establish total peace in Sinaloa,' Castro said. Members of the public in the state, however, said authorities have lost control. Sinaloa has been gripped by months of violence fuelled by rival drug traffickers vying for control of routes used to produce and transport narcotics, including fentanyl, that are often destined for the United States. The groups are split between members loyal to Sinaloa Cartel cofounders Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman and Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada. The violence peaked after the arrest in July of Zambada, who is on trial in the US. The US announced it had arrested 76-year-old Zambada and 38-year-old Joaquin Guzman Lopez, 'El Chapo' Guzman's son, at an airport near El Paso, Texas. (Agencies)
USA Today
01-07-2025
- USA Today
20 bodies, some decapitated, found in Mexico amid bloody cartel turf war
The turf war erupted last summer after Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, the cofounder and former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, was betrayed by his partner and arrested by federal authorities in Texas. Mexican authorities found twenty bodies, including several that were decapitated, in the country's western state of Sinaloa – the latest episode of violence that's erupted as factions of the infamous Silanoa Cartel fight for control over the area. Sinaloa state prosecutors said four decapitated bodies were found hanging from a bridge over a highway near the Sinaloa state capital of Culiacan. Authorities found 16 bodies riddled with gunshot wounds in a van on the same highway, one of which was also decapitated, local media reported. Speaking at a news conference June 30, Sinaloa Secretary General Feliciano Castro Meléndez said the incident was "regrettable" and told reporters that authorities were trying to get a handle on the rampant violence. "Military and police forces are working together to reestablish total peace in Sinaloa," he said. Arrest of 'El Mayo' triggered clashes among factions of the Sinaloa Cartel For months, Sinaloa has been the epicenter of bloody clashes between two factions of the Sinaloa Cartel, Los Chapitos and La Mayiza. The turf war erupted last summer, after Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada, the cofounder and former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, was arrested by federal authorities in Texas. Zambada claims he was kidnapped and delivered by plane to U.S. authorities in a betrayal orchestrated by one of the sons of notorious drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. Zambada remains in custody pending trial on 17 counts of drug trafficking, firearms offenses and money laundering; he has pleaded not guilty. Guzman is serving a life sentence at a maximum security prison in Colorado following his conviction in 2019 on over two dozen drug violations and one murder conspiracy charge. The U.S. has targeted the Sinaloa Cartel for its role in trafficking deadly fentanyl over the border. Fentanyl, which has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans in recent years, is the nation's leading cause of death for those between the ages of 18 and 49, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. New report: Hacker for El Chapo helped boss hunt and kill FBI informants Mexican border city also in the grips of rampant violence Such violent clashes aren't limited to Sinaloa. In the border city of Ciudad Juarez, over 40 homicides in May and June have been linked to a turf war between La Linea, the armed wing of the transnational Juarez Cartel, and a Sinaloa Cartel faction known as Los Cabrera. This week, ABC News first reported that American families who've lost loved ones in violence stemming from Mexican drug cartels called on the State Department to designate La Linea as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, which would open the group up to facing sanctions, immigration restrictions and other penalties. The Sinaloa Cartel was added to the list in February, after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on his first day back in office calling for international cartels to receive the designation. The Trump administration has moved swiftly to clamp down on the cartel, announcing in June sanctions on a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel known as Los Chapitos. The State Department also announced a $10 million reward for information leading to the arrests of the faction's leaders, Archivaldo Ivan Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, two of El Chapo's sons. Contributing: Josh Meyer and Thao Nguyen
India Gazette
01-07-2025
- 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)
