Op Melon: NCB dismantles India’s most prolific darknet syndicate ‘Ketamelon’
In a significant crackdown against darknet-enabled narcotics trade, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has busted India’s top-ranked darknet drug vendor operating under the alias “Ketamelon”.
The operation seized over 1,100 Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) blots, 131 grams of Ketamine and cryptocurrency worth Rs 70 lakh in a coordinated operation codenamed ‘MELON’.
According to a senior NCB officer, the agency, after weeks of intelligence gathering, intercepted three postal parcels in Cochin on June 28, containing 280 LSD blots. Acting swiftly, they raided the suspect’s residence on June 29, uncovering a further 847 LSD blots, Ketamine and a trove of digital evidence.
“Among the material seized were multiple cryptocurrency wallets, hard disks with incriminating documents and a hardware wallet containing USDT cryptocurrency valued at Rs 70 lakh," the official said.
A bootable KITES OS, used to access darknet marketplaces anonymously, was also recovered. Authorities are now investigating custodial wallets on platforms such as Binance for potential links.
NCB officials confirmed that ‘Ketamelon’ was India’s only Level 4 darknet vendor — a top-tier status in India — operating actively over the past two years.
The name derives from the vendor’s early involvement in Ketamine smuggling. Drugs were primarily sourced from a UK-based vendor Gunga Din, a known reshipper of the globally infamous Dr Seuss (aka DS or Tribe Seuss), believed to be the largest LSD source in the world.
Operating through encrypted channels, the Ketamelon network had delivered over 600 shipments to cities across India, including Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Bhopal, Patna, remote regions of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
The NCB officer said that the arrested individual had established a sophisticated system of sourcing, distribution and payment via cryptocurrency.
“This seizure highlights the deep web’s evolving threat and the NCB’s enhanced cyber and financial surveillance capabilities,” the officer said.
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.
Darknet drug vendors are ranked from 1 to 5 stars based on the potency of drugs sold and customer satisfaction, similar to e-commerce platforms.
According to the officer, LSD, a potent hallucinogen, is typically distributed in blot form and causes intense sensory distortions. It is odourless, tasteless and can be absorbed orally via paper strips.
Both ‘Ketamelon’ and his associate are now in custody and further investigation is underway to map the full extent of their operations, including links to international syndicates.
India