But somewhere between production and purchasing, things can get dirty. For example, an insider or factory employee might quietly slip away with an unmarked gun and sell it online. Once it lands on a darknet marketplace, it becomes part of the illegal weapons trade.
Is It Illegal To Access The Dark Web?
Some sellers offer cracked versions of expensive software that you’d typically pay hundreds of dollars for. Others sell pirated eBooks, academic materials, and entire premium courses ripped straight from paid platforms. Unfortunately, the dark web hosts not only explicit but also deeply illegal and disturbing content. The markets often share materials related to child exploitation, pornography, and non-consensual recordings, all of which are serious crimes that inflict lasting harm on real-life victims.
NCB Arrests 22 In Darknet Drugs Network Bust After Pan-India Raids
The site gives out free samples of the stolen data every now and then to gain more customers. With its fast rise to fame and focus on money fraud, it’s no surprise that cybersecurity experts are keeping a very close eye on this one. While this market started in Canada in 2021, WeTheNorth now sells to both Canadian and international users. It’s a market for fake documents, hacking software, and financial fraud services.
Fear, WhatsApp And Fake IDs: Inside The Rs 1 Crore Cyber Trap By Father-Son Duo
NCB officials said ‘Ketamelon’ was India’s only Level 4 darknet vendor — kind of a top-tier status — operating “actively” over the past two years. The cartels on darknet, as per the investigators, are rated on a scale of 1 to 5 star based on their potency of drugs sold and their customer service. Buyers choose from a range of illegal products, pay using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, and have items discreetly shipped to their homes via courier services. Over the years, several large drug markets have operated on the dark web, but authorities around the world have struggled to shut them down completely.
Monero and Bitcoin are two of the most commonly used digital currencies on the dark web markets. Due to being the most popular and the oldest coin, Bitcoin is traceable. However, Monero, on the other hand, is untraceable and the most trusted payment method on these markets. Therefore, most cybersecurity experts recommend using Monero while shopping on darknet markets. This can include everything from full names, email logins, and passwords to credit card details, social security numbers, and bank account information. The cybercriminals trade even sensitive documents, such as medical records, passport information, and driver’s licenses.
Additionally, custodial wallets on platforms such as Binance have been identified for further investigation and action. India’s Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has made a significant breakthrough in combating cybercrime and drug trafficking with the arrest of Edison Babu, a 35-year-old engineer from Kerala. Edison, operating under the alias “Ketamelon,” was identified as the mastermind behind India’s largest darknet drug trafficking operation.
Related Articles From The Business Security Section
Darknet cartels are often rated from 1-star to 5-star based on drug potency and customer service. In response to a rise in dark web dealings, particularly drug-related, Kerala Police has intensified cyber patrolling. A dedicated wing within the state’s Cyber Dome has been deployed exclusively to monitor dark web transactions. Since 2020, 2easy has sold massive stealer logs with sensitive data like passwords, bank cards, and initial access credentials. It supports operations in multiple languages and operates on both clearnet and Tor. What made Ketamelon’s enterprise particularly difficult to trace was the hybrid approach Babu adopted.
Shocking: Teacher Arrested For Mixing Phenyl In Student Meals To ‘settle Score’ With Hostel Head
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. To deal with the growing issue of drug trafficking through digital means, the Centre has established a Special Task Force on Darknet and cryptocurrency. This task force will specifically monitor suspicious transactions involving drugs conducted on the darknet. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), India’s primary agency for drug law enforcement, is at the forefront of this initiative. The Narcotics Control Bureau has achieved a major breakthrough by dismantling India’s most prolific darknet drug syndicate operating under the alias “Ketamelon”, officials said on Tuesday. According to NCB investigations, Babu had quietly established a digital-first narcotics business.
- The more proactive you are, the better you can protect yourself against identity theft and other cyber threats.
- Investigations revealed that “Ketamelon” was India’s only Level 4 darknet vendor, a top-tier status in India, operating actively over the past two years.
- Some markets are invite-only or have strict registration rules to keep out scammers and law enforcement.
- ‘Zambada’ intended to open an Indian ‘outlet’ of Dr Seuss with a minimum stock of one lakh LSD blots.
- The estimated street value of the seized drugs is approximately 35.12 lakhs, with LSD blots priced at 2,500-4,000 each.
- They add new batches of stolen data every other week, and there’s even a bidding system where buyers can place offers on new data batches as soon as they become available.
Adani Airports To Invest Rs 10,000 Crore In Lucknow Expansion
Established in 2020, Awazon Market has quickly become one of the most famous darknet marketplaces. The market claims to provide secure and anonymous commerce services. You can find a lot of goods and services packed with stealth high-level encryption, no JavaScript, and anti-DDoS protection. Discover everything about what a darknet market is, top marketplaces, security threats on them, and learn how to protect your data online. In addition to monitoring, Rai emphasised that various preventive measures are in place, with the newly formed task force playing a crucial role in overseeing and analyzing suspicious transactions to prevent drug trafficking.
Under the identity “Ketamelon,” he received orders on numerous darknet markets, communicated encryptedly, and shipped drugs via India’s postal and courier networks. The arrest of Edison Babu is a testament to the effectiveness of the NCB’s efforts in dismantling transnational drug trafficking networks. It highlights the necessity for international cooperation and the use of advanced tools to track and apprehend criminals operating on the dark web. 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.
Some custodial wallets on crypto platforms like Binance have been identified for further investigation, it said. Two persons linked to the syndicate have been arrested till now, the agency said. The estimated street value of the seized drugs is approximately ₹35.12 lakh, with LSD blots priced at ₹2,500- ₹4,000 each,” the officer added. LSD is odourless, colourless and tasteless and can be painted onto small squares of paper that people lick or swallow and it alters the sense of space, distance and time. LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) is a hallucinogenic drug which chemically acts to change the way people sense the world around them.
The NCB’s investigation began after intercepting 280 LSD blots from three postal parcels in Cochin on June 28, 2025. Taking the lead forward, it was investigated that the parcels were booked by a suspect, leading to a search of his residence on June 29. In Ludhiana, the NCB has also busted a “basket” case having international drug racket links in Dubai, Afghanistan and Pakistan. It has a bidding feature, with new batches of stolen data being frequently added. There’s also a privacy angle—some users live in countries with censorship or surveillance, and the dark web gives them a space to communicate or access information more freely.
India Has Seen 92 Drug Trafficking Cases In Four Years Involving Dark Net And Crypto
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 darknet—the encrypted, unindexed part of the internet accessible only through specialized software like Tor—is a notorious hub for illegal activities. It’s where international drug deals, arms sales, and illicit services are routinely brokered away from the prying eyes of law enforcement. Yet, until recently, most large-scale darknet drug operations in India were believed to be the domain of organized criminal syndicates or foreign cartels.
GOVT MAIL, CRIMINAL SALES
As of 2020, nearly 57% of the dark web was estimated to contain illegal content, including violence and extremist platforms. Authorities estimate that over 600 items were delivered across the country, taking use of postal system flaws to achieve scale and stealth. 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.
