Big NCB Catch: Darknet-Based Drug Cartel Busted in 'Largest-Ever' LSD Seizure; 6 Arrested

In the ‘largest ever’ seizures of LSD drug, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Tuesday busted a pan-India drugs trafficking network, operating through the dark web and recovered a huge quantity of the hallucinogenic drug worth thousands of crores.

LSD or lysergic acid diethylamide is a synthetic chemical based-drug and is categorised as a hallucinogen.

The probe agency also arrested six people, who are students and youngsters, in connection with the case and seized 15,000 bloats of LSD.

“We’ve arrested six persons in two cases and seized 15,000 bloats of LSD drug which is 2.5 thousand more than the commercial quantity. The commercial quantity of this drug is .1 gram. It’s a synthetic drug and is very dangerous. It’s the biggest seizure in the last 2 decades,” NCB deputy director general (northern range) Gyaneshwar Singh said.

Till now, the highest seizure of LSD was 5,000 blots by the Karnataka Police in 2021 and by the Kolkata NCB in 2022 in a single operation.

“LSD abuse is largely prevalent among youngsters and it can lead to serious health issues,” he said.

The network, which operated in the darknet and used cryptocurrencies for payments, was spread across Poland, the Netherlands, the US and various states in India, an official said.

Possession of 0.1 gram of LSD, which is the commercial quantity for the hallucinogenic drug, invites strict legal action under the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

Darknet refers to the deep hidden internet platform that is used for narcotics sale, exchange of pornographic content and other illegal activities by using the secret alleys of the the onion router (ToR) to stay away from the surveillance of law enforcement agencies.

(With inputs from agencies)