The first category includes classic marketplaces, which serve as one-stop shops for a wide range of illegal goods. These platforms sell everything from drugs and fake IDs to weapons and hacking tools, resembling a digital black-market bazaar. The current bust comes nearly two years after NCB dismantled the notorious ‘Zambada’ darknet cartel, the then largest in the country, which had ties to the same international LSD network. Zambada had a five-star rating in darknet marketplaces and was based out of Delhi-NCR.
The anonymity and lack of rules that define darknet marketplaces are exactly what make them breeding grounds for fraudulent activities. Of course, the promise of secrecy and unfiltered access might lure you in, but those same features are what make the environment so risky. The fallout for victims whose data is stolen and sold can be devastating. They suffer losses such as identity theft, financial loss, and emotional distress due to damage to their personal and professional lives.
Subscribe To Our Newsletter
Analyze the market sentiments & identify the trend reversal for strategic decisions. Drugs were primarily sourced from a UK-based vendor, Gunga Din, a known reshipper of the globally infamous Dr. Seuss (a.k.a. DS or Tribe Seuss), believed to be the largest LSD source in the world. Three different modes of smuggling of heroin — sea route through Mundra port, land route through Attari-Wagah border and the international border — were used by this syndicate. “For effective investigation, three NCB officers were awarded the Union Home Minister’s Medal for Investigation,” the sources said. The Abacus Market links to the new dark web marketplace sections and took over much of the vacuum left by the AlphaBay takedown. If you ever decide to explore the dark web, protecting your identity is crucial.
Operation Melon: India’s Darknet Drug Syndicate Ketamelon Busted In Delhi
The estimated street value of the seized drugs is approximately Rs 35.12 lakh, with LSD blots priced at Rs 2,500-4,000 each. The operation, codenamed ‘MELON’, was led by the NCB Cochin Zonal Unit and has resulted in the seizure of large quantities of LSD and Ketamine, as well as digital assets worth Rs 70 lakh. In a significant breakthrough, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has successfully dismantled India’s most prolific darknet drug syndicate operating under the alias ‘Ketamelon’.
Common Scams And Fraudulent Activities On Darknet Markets
The deputy DG further said that till now, the highest seizure of LSD was 5,000 blots by the Karnataka Police during the entire span of 2021 and about a similar amount of blots by the Kolkata NCB in 2022 in a single operation. A total of 14,961 blots were seized as part of the about two-week long operation and the blots are of “gammagoblin and holy spirit of asura” brand, Singh said. “Due to intensified vigilance and improved coordination, drug seizures have exponentially increased in India in the last few years,” the home minister said on Twitter. The NCB said it is working to unearth the third such known LSD cartel operating in the country. As part of the two earlier busts, it has registered a total of six cases in Delhi under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) leading to the arrest of 22 Indians till now. Garcia, according to the NCB, declared on the darknet after this interdiction in India that he was safe and will never be caught.
Unmasking The Dark Web Economy: Key Hubs And Cybersecurity Implications
- It brings in vendor reviews from other places and verifies them using PGP signatures, so buyers can feel a bit more confident about who they’re dealing with.
- The cartels on darknet are rated on a scale of 1 to 5 stars based on the potency of the drug sold and their customer service.
- It’s a market for fake documents, hacking software, and financial fraud services.
- Unlike regular e-commerce sites, markets on the dark web often deal with illegal or highly restricted goods and services, such as fake documents, hard drugs, and hacking services.
One thing that distinguishes BidenCash on the dark web, however, is how it markets itself. Foreign vendors used this rating for authentication and supply, and India-based web platform Dark Net Market to sell or buy drugs and to locate suppliers and buyers, said NCB. In 2023, the NCB had busted the then biggest darknet based LSD cartel named ‘Zambada’, seized 29,013 blots of LSD, 472 gm MDMA, and ₹51.38 lakh in cash, and arrested 14 persons.
India’s Darknet Drug Kingpin Busted, Drugs, Rs 1 Crore In Cryptocurrency Seized
- He utilized the government postal system and the dark web to facilitate his illicit activities, which involved the trafficking of drugs and the use of Monero cryptocurrency to launder over ₹68 lakh (approximately $82,000).
- “The bureau is carrying out operations against drug cartels under the direct supervision of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, pursuant to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to put an end to narcotics trade in the country,” they said.
- Now that you understand what the dark web is all about, you might wonder why other people do things on it.
- It has ‘outlets’ in the UK, USA, South Africa, Canada, Russia, Spain, Portugal, Greece and Turkey, according to DDG Singh.
- The arrest of Edison Babu is a testament to the effectiveness of the NCB’s efforts in dismantling transnational drug trafficking networks.
Once it lands on a darknet marketplace, it becomes part of the illegal weapons trade. Next up is Abacus, another newer market that has already made a massive name for itself, especially following AlphaBay’s closure. It contains 40,000+ listings for illegal products (mostly) and is worth an estimated $15 million, so it’s one of the largest markets out there. These markets are dangerous anyway and shouldn’t be accessed even if they’ve onion addresses.
Money Laundering
Imagine trusting a site where you’ve been buying or selling for months, and everything seems legit. Some marketplace operators first build trust by running a legitimate platform. If you take a quick look through darknet marketplaces, you’ll instantly notice an overwhelming supply of pirated content. We’re talking about even early access to unreleased music, leaked TV episodes, concert footage, and even popular video games before they officially drop. It’s also a marketplace for digital mercenaries; you’ll find everything from solo hackers offering their skills to well-organized groups that take on more complex or high-stakes projects.
On the financial side, the network funneled funds through privacy-focused digital assets like Monero, while also using wallet-hopping and obfuscation techniques. India has seen as many as 92 cases since 2020 till April 2024 involving dark net and cryptocurrencies to purchase drugs, the nation’s junior Home Minister Nityanand Rai said to parliament on Wednesday. Over the past 14 months, more than 600 drug consignments were delivered to major cities including Bengaluru, Chennai, Bhopal, Patna, Delhi, and parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Custodial wallets on cryptocurrency platforms such as Binance have also been traced for further action. Its origins can be traced back to the 1990s, through research funded by the United States Department of Defense.
Language Sites
Anything from planting malware and stealing sensitive files to hijacking email accounts or breaking into social media profiles. One notable fact is that the site has changed its domain twice since its formation. Today, Exodus Marketplace works from 3 different domains, two of which are its mirrors.
Most people start by using the Tor Browser, which hides your IP address. Telegram channels supplement traditional onion sites, blurring lines between the dark web sites and more mainstream communication tools. According to sources, Edison was stunned when confronted about Ketamelon. He had kept his activities hidden even from his wife and maintained a quiet, introverted life in the neighbourhood,” said an NCB official. In the same duration, 1025 cases involving parcels or couriers were reported.
LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), commonly known as acid or blots, is a powerful hallucinogen that distorts perceptions of time, space, and senses. Users often report “hearing” colors or “seeing” sounds due to their intense psychological effects. Cybercriminals go on dark web marketplaces to buy and sell illicit goods and services. They engage in financial crime and sell other people’s stolen personal information, since they’re under the veil of anonymity. Still, even with these crackdowns and better defenses, dark web markets just keep coming back. As long as people want to buy and sell illegal stuff online, be it stolen data, narcotics, drugs, or malware, these markets will keep resurfacing, no matter how many times authorities take them down.
