Ketamelon kingpin used ID cards sourced from darkweb for drugs trade

THE kingpin behind Ketamelon, a darknet-based drug trafficking platform operating across India, procured identity cards from the darknet to ship LSD blots and ketamine, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has found.

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @Kochi

The central agency has initiated steps to freeze the assets of the accused, believed to have been acquired through proceeds of crime.

NCB had earlier arrested Edison Babu, a resident of Muvattupuzha, along with Arun Thomas, after a probe revealed that Edison was operating the Ketamelon platform on the dark web.

Investigators found that Edison procured multiple government-issued ID cards, such as Aadhaar, PAN, and election IDs, from darknet marketplaces using cryptocurrency to book parcels for drug deliveries.

"There are several platforms on the darknet selling forged identification documents. The accused used these to book parcels anonymously, helping him evade detection if a consignment was intercepted," said an NCB source.

The agency has also identified several individuals who were purchasing drugs via the Ketamelon platform.