Officials discovered a pen drive containing TAILS OS, the operating system designed for accessing darknet markets, along with multiple crypto wallets, hard disks with incriminating material, and a hardware wallet loaded with Rs 70 lakh worth of USDT.

Investigators also found evidence of custodial wallets on global platforms like Binance, which are now under scrutiny.

NCB sources revealed that the accused operated under the alias ‘Ketamelon’, identified as India’s only Level 4 vendor on the darknet — a status awarded based on the quality of drugs sold and customer satisfaction.

The moniker is said to be inspired by his early dealings in Ketamine, before expanding to LSD.

According to the NCB, the drugs were allegedly sourced from ‘Gunga Din’, a UK-based supplier linked to Dr Seuss aka DS or Tribe Seuss, the world’s largest LSD distributor.

Over the past 14 months, Ketamelon is believed to have dispatched nearly 600 consignments to cities like Bengaluru, Chennai, Patna, Bhopal, Delhi, and remote regions in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

“This is the second-largest LSD seizure in India, after the 2023 bust of another five-star-rated darknet cartel. The Muvattupuzha native is suspected to be the kingpin of this sophisticated trafficking network. Investigations are on to identify the end-users and other operatives,” an NCB officer said.

The bust has exposed how deeply entrenched darknet-facilitated narcotics trade has become, and officials believe more shocking revelations could follow.