Mumbai: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has trained its guns on the drug supply network using darknet after two such cases have been reported. The latest case in which three peddlers were caught ordering lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) through darknet has also led the agency to probe a person from a prominent family, sources said.
The three drug peddlers were caught after a series of raids and searches conducted in Navi Mumbai during the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday. The agency seized a total of 336 blots of LSD, which is a commercial quantity, six grams of cocaine and 430 grams of marijuana from the three drug dealers identified as Arbaaz Shaikh, Vineet Chandran and Suraj Singh. Shaikh is a software engineer. They have been active and running their network in areas around Nerul and Navi Mumbai since a long time, NCB stated. “We are scanning the involvement of a person coming from a prominent family,” a source said without divulging any further details.
The person in question is under scanner as an alleged supplier, sources said. Explaining the modus operandi, NCB sources stated that LSD is procured from abroad. Investigations have found peddlers ordering the drug from a sender in Amsterdam.
“What works for the peddlers is that there is no human interface in ordering LSD, which minimises the risk of getting caught,” said a high-ranking officer. “The accused use proxy servers so that they are not detected. The LSD is mostly hidden in papers, gifts and cards. The orders are couriered through false declaration and are delivered at home. The payment is done through bitcoins or bank deposits. This is a second such case in recent times in which we have found usage of darknet.”
The agency has now begun a full-fledged investigation on how the darknet was used and if there are more such persons into ordering the drug from abroad.
The sourcing of drugs such as LSD and bud is primarily made through the Darknet, which gives the layers of anonymity to the buyers and sellers. Darknet is being used as a source to find and buy drugs online. The economic transactions in these types of international drug trafficking is based on the cryptocurrency dealings.
