This came a day after Punjab Police seized a huge amount of drugs in a major operation to crackdown on cross-border narcotics smuggling. Darknet drug vendors are ranked from 1 to 5 stars based on the potency of drugs sold and customer satisfaction, similar to e-commerce platforms. NCB officials confirmed that ‘Ketamelon’ was India’s only Level 4 darknet vendor — a top-tier status in India — operating actively over the past two years. According to a senior NCB officer, the agency, after weeks of intelligence gathering, intercepted three postal parcels in Cochin on June 28, containing 280 LSD blots. Acting swiftly, they raided the suspect’s residence on June 29, uncovering a further 847 LSD blots, Ketamine and a trove of digital evidence.
He had kept his activities hidden even from his wife and maintained a quiet, introverted life in the neighbourhood,” said an NCB official. For society at large, the case is a reminder of the unpredictable intersections between technology and criminality, and the need for ongoing vigilance—at the institutional and individual levels alike. New software tools have been developed under cyber experts’ guidance to track and apprehend individuals involved in these transactions.
VK Malhotra, BJP’s 1st De Facto Delhi CM Who Broke Congress Spell In Capital Despite Indira’s Might
Launched after the takedown of AlphaBay in 2021, Abacus Market has rapidly risen to prominence. It features over 40,000 listings including narcotics, counterfeit items, hacking tools, and stolen data. The marketplace is well-known for its bug bounty programs and robust security mechanisms, including mandatory 2FA. Launched in September 2022, Torzon Market operates on the Tor network and features over 11,600 illegal products, including drugs and hacking tools. Torzon offers a premium account option for additional benefits and is valued at approximately $15 million, accepting payments in Bitcoin (BTC) and Monero (XMR). Despite growing crackdowns from law enforcement agencies, the dark web remains a hotbed of criminal activity, offering everything from drugs to stolen data.
Some fake sellers take your crypto and never ship what you ordered, or phishing sites that look like real marketplaces but steal your login info. And then there’s malware—click the wrong link or download the wrong file, and your device could get infected. There’s also a privacy angle—some users live in countries with censorship or surveillance, and the dark web gives them a space to communicate or access information more freely. It’s been a constant back-and-forth between cybercriminals and law enforcement, with each new site trying to be smarter and more secure than the last. These sites cater to cybercriminals seeking valuable data, such as credit card numbers, login credentials, and personal information. As of 2020, nearly 57% of the dark web was estimated to contain illegal content, including violence and extremist platforms.
Axis Intelligence provides dark web surveillance solutions that help businesses identify leaked credentials, fraud attempts, and malware risks before they escalate. N 2025, dark web websites frequently change domains and are often short-lived. Accessing them may require .onion links and the Tor browser, but caution is advised due to legality and cybersecurity risks. They use pseudonymous wallets, privacy coins (like Monero), mixers, chain-hopping, and non-KYC platforms to obscure transaction trails.
What Is Ketamelon?
- The agency launched an operation codenamed ‘Melon’ to investigate it after getting primary inputs from the Cochin seizure,” the NCB said in a statement.
- According to the NCB, Ketamelon operated as a Level 4 darknet vendor, the highest rating on a five-star scale, based on the potency of the drugs it distributed and the quality of its customer service.
- NCB officials said ‘Ketamelon’ was India’s only Level 4 darknet vendor — kind of a top-tier status — operating “actively” over the past two years.
- A swift follow-up search at his residence the next day unearthed 847 more LSD blots and over 130 grams of Ketamine — together valued at Rs 35.12 lakh.
- Over roughly 14 months, he processed and shipped over 600 drug consignments to customers across India, earning a reputation for reliability and discretion.
This process, he noted, leaves a digital trail that can be followed with the right tools and cooperation 1. The darknet—the encrypted, unindexed part of the internet accessible only through specialized software like Tor—is a notorious hub for illegal activities. It’s where international drug deals, arms sales, and illicit services are routinely brokered away from the prying eyes of law enforcement.
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- This article reveals the top 10 dark web markets dominating in 2025, their unique characteristics, and the critical implications for enterprise cybersecurity.
- “Criminals may operate in the shadows of the darknet and use privacy coins thinking they’re invisible, but they inevitably leave digital traces.
- The NCB said the cartel’s name is derived from Ismael-Marlo Zambada Garcia, a Mexican drug lord, and he was the last remaining fugitive on the list of Mexico’s 37 most wanted drug criminals.
- The cartels on darknet, as per the investigators, are rated on a scale of 1 to 5 star based on their potency of drugs sold and their customer service.
It also added that Ketamelon had established a widespread network shipping LSD to several major Indian cities, including Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, Bhopal, Patna, and some cities in the hill states like Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The Tribune, now published from Chandigarh, started publication on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan). Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language and partisanship, are the hallmarks of the newspaper. It is an independent newspaper in the real sense of the term.The Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).
THE VENDOR HALL OF FAME
It is abused largely by youngsters and its consumption can lead to serious health issues. It is odourless, colourless and tasteless and it is painted on small squares of paper (blots) that can be licked or swallowed. In the same period, 1,025 incidents involving parcels or couriers used for drug trafficking were also documented.
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“This was (Ketamelon) one of India’s most prolific darknet drug syndicates. The agency launched an operation codenamed ‘Melon’ to investigate it after getting primary inputs from the Cochin seizure,” an NCB statement said. The operation seized over 1,100 Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) blots, 131 grams of Ketamine and cryptocurrency worth Rs 70 lakh in a coordinated operation codenamed ‘MELON’. Binance is a leading global blockchain ecosystem behind the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume and registered users. Binance is devoted to building an inclusive crypto ecosystem to increase the freedom of money and financial access for people around the world with crypto as the fundamental means. Edison’s network would order narcotics from abroad via the darknet and then smuggle them into the country through postal services. The drugs brought into Kerala were subsequently distributed by him to various parts of the country.
Free Access To E-paper And WhatsApp
“Among the material seized were multiple cryptocurrency wallets, hard disks with incriminating documents and a hardware wallet containing USDT cryptocurrency valued at Rs 70 lakh,” the official said. In a significant crackdown against darknet-enabled narcotics trade, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has busted India’s top-ranked darknet drug vendor operating under the alias “Ketamelon”. “Criminals may operate in the shadows of the darknet and use privacy coins thinking they’re invisible, but they inevitably leave digital traces. By leveraging advanced analytics and working hand-in-hand with investigators and other stakeholders, we helped trace and freeze those illicit funds. Binance remains committed to proactively supporting such operations to ensure bad actors are brought to justice and to keep the crypto ecosystem safe for everyone,” said Nils Andersen-Röed, Global Head of Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), Binance. Binance’s compliance and investigations teams performed critical roles in transforming blockchain transparency into enforcement.
NCB Arrests 22 In Darknet Drugs Network Bust After Pan-India Raids
LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) is a hallucinogenic drug which chemically acts to change the way people sense the world around them. The estimated street value of the seized drugs is about ₹35.12 lakh with LSD blots being priced in a range of ₹2,500-₹ 4,000 each, as per the statement. Two persons linked to the syndicate have been arrested till now, the agency confirmed. The darknet-enabled drugs supply platform had “established” a “widespread” network shipping LSD to cities like Bengaluru, Chennai, Bhopal, Patna, and Delhi apart from some cities in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, it said.
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He used to source large quantities of synthetic drugs through the darknet and sell them to his customers. He used to receive the drugs through international couriers, the NCB source said. Investigations revealed he had a deep understanding of darknet culture, advanced digital security, and international drug sourcing. His primary supplier was a UK-based darknet dealer known as “Gunga Din,” believed to be part of a global LSD smuggling ring. Working largely alone, he ascended to the highest vendor level on the darknet—“Level-4,” the gold standard for reliability and volume among darknet marketplaces.
Abacus Market
Edison sold drug products in Bengaluru, Chennai, Bhopal, Patna, Delhi, and various locations in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. For the past two years, Edison was engaged in drug sales across various darknet markets. He primarily procured drugs from a seller in England known as ‘Gumgadin,’ indicating his deep connections with international drug syndicates, sources added. 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. 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. 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.
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. Under the identity “Ketamelon,” he received orders on numerous darknet markets, communicated in encryption, and shipped drugs via India’s postal and courier networks. Silk Road was one of the earliest and most prominent dark web drug markets before its 2013 shutdown. Similar platforms like Silk Road 2, Evolution, and Agora later emerged to continue this illegal trade. These operations remain a growing concern for international law enforcement—including Indian agencies—as they help traffickers evade detection while reaching global customers.
