#India-Wide Operation: NCB Seizes Drugs and Dismantles Darknet Network

#Background

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has successfully dismantled a nationwide narcotics distribution network operating under the name "Team Kalki." The network, active on darknet marketplaces and the encrypted messaging platform Session since January 2025, was targeted following a three-month intelligence-gathering operation.

#Seizure of Drugs

During the operation, authorities seized a substantial haul of drugs, including:

• 2,338 LSD blotters
• 160 MDMA (Ecstasy) pills totaling 77.517 grams
• 73.612 grams of charas
• 3.642 grams of amphetamine
• 3.6 kg of liquid MDMA

The drugs were recovered from 13 domestic parcels and two international consignments originating from the Netherlands.

#Investigation and Arrests

The investigation revealed that the darknet vendor "Team Kalki" was operated by Anurag Thakur and his associate Vikas Rathi. Both accused are habitual offenders and were previously arrested in cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985.

Vikas Rathi had earlier been lodged in Tihar Jail in connection with a charas trafficking case registered by the Delhi Police Special Cell, while Anurag Thakur had been imprisoned in a methamphetamine trafficking case registered by the Delhi Police Crime Branch. Both were lodged in Tihar Jail for the same time, during which they came together and later operated the darknet drug network "Team Kalki."

#Operation and Distribution Methods

The network had a nationwide distribution footprint and employed sophisticated methods to evade law enforcement detection. The accused sourced LSD and MDMA from international darknet vendors based in the Netherlands, Poland, and Germany. Orders from customers across India were received through platforms such as the dark web forum Dread and the Session messaging application.

Upon receiving orders from customers, one of the accused would relay the order details to his associate, who handled the packaging and dispatch of the narcotic consignments. The drugs were subsequently sent to customers across various parts of the country through courier and parcel services.

The investigation also uncovered the use of a "dead drop" delivery technique, wherein parcels containing narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances were placed at pre-determined locations instead of being handed over directly to customers. Buyers were subsequently informed of the location details, enabling them to collect the parcels while minimizing the risk of detection.

#Financial Transactions and Cryptocurrencies

The network accepted payments through cryptocurrencies using non-custodial wallets, including Monero and USDT. The proceeds were routed through multiple intermediary wallets, with conversion charges of up to 10%, to convert the funds into USDT, which was subsequently stored in cold wallets. In certain instances, mule KYC-compliant wallets were also used to route the proceeds into the formal banking system.

#Scale of Operations

The network is suspected to have dispatched more than 1,000 consignments since January 2025. Multiple electronic devices have been recovered from the accused, and a cryptocurrency wallet linked to the operation has been identified.

#Further Investigation and Crackdown

The NCB is continuing the investigation to identify other associates, trace financial transactions, and uncover the international supply chain linked to the network. This operation is part of NCB's sustained nationwide crackdown on darknet-enabled drug trafficking and synthetic drug networks. In the past, NCB has successfully conducted several major operations, including Operation Ketamelon (2025) and Operation Zambada (2023), targeting organized drug trafficking syndicates and dismantling supply chains linked to international darknet markets.