Representative image only. | Photo Credit: The Hindu
“The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has arrested an international criminal gang that was dealing drugs using DarkNet and cryptocurrencies with ties in various countries as well as several states in India,” the sources said. .
“The office is carrying out operations against drug cartels under the direct supervision of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of ending drug trafficking in the country.” they said.
“The gang had ties in the US, the Netherlands and Canada, and in the states of West Bengal, Gujarat, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Assam. the sources said. .
“It was busted in an operation that detected and dismantled the drug market on the Darknet and on social networks run by anonymous and professional traffickers, and the home delivery network,” they said.
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“The drug traffickers' modus operandi included the use of the Darknet, cryptocurrencies, digital media, fake UPI and KYC documents, as well as postal and courier services,” the sources said.
“As a consequence of strategic and operational planning, during the operation, which spanned more than 11 months, there were 47 cases recorded, 40 people arrested, and a variety of drugs and cash seized by the NCB in 2021-22,” they said.
The highlight of the operation was the coordination with the foreign drug liaison officers and the excellent coordination between various zonal units of the OCN and state police forces for simultaneous operations, the sources said. Divers from the National Disaster Response Force were also used to recover crucial evidence from deep sea.
"For an effective investigation, three NCB officers were awarded the Union Home Secretary's Investigation Medal," the sources said.
In Ludhiana, the NCB has also uncovered a "basket" case that has links to international drug trafficking in Dubai, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Seventeen people were arrested, including kingpins, traffickers, white-collar criminals, two Afghan heroin processing experts and members of the suspected Jaggu Bhagwan Puria gang. The seizure in the case included around 34.5 kg of heroin, 5.5 kg of morphine, 0.6 kg of opium, 23.6 kg of powdered narcotics, acetic anhydride, bullets and magazines. “Two heroin processing laboratories were also dismantled,” the sources said.
This syndicate used three different modes of heroin smuggling: sea route through the port of Mundra, land route through the Attari-Wagah border and the international border.
The NCB financial investigation also identified the Hawala network's money payment channels and a group of companies involved in them. The identified assets include 45 properties, many front businesses including liquor brands, real estate, pubs and restaurants and 190 bank accounts.
So far, the NCB has recovered around Rs 4 crores of drug money. He also froze 35 properties, 24 bank accounts worth ₹32 crores. “NCB is considering freezing assets worth at least ₹50 crore,” the sources said.
