New Delhi [India], July 4 (ANI): In one of the largest crackdowns on the illegal pharmaceutical trade, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has dismantled an international drug trafficking syndicate operating across four continents, using encrypted digital platforms, cryptocurrency, and anonymous shipping networks, an official statement said.

The breakthrough began with the interception of a vehicle near Bengali Market in Delhi on May 25, 2025, ultimately uncovering a vast transnational operation with links to India, the US, Australia, and Europe.

The investigation was launched after the NCB HQ Operations Unit intercepted a car near Mandi House, Delhi, based on a tip-off. The vehicle's two occupants, B. Pharma graduates from a reputed Noida-based private university, were found in possession of 3.7 kg of Tramadol tablets--a controlled medication often misused as a narcotic. Their confession exposed a deeper network that involved an online vendor profile on a major Indian B2B platform, used to ship pharmaceutical pills to clients in the United States, Europe, and Australia.

Subsequent leads led NCB to a stockist in Roorkee and an associate in Delhi's Mayur Vihar. Further investigation uncovered a key contact in Udupi, Karnataka, who managed bulk orders for exports. Analysis of seized data from Udupi revealed 50 international consignments 29 within the US, 18 within Australia, and one each to Estonia, Spain, and Switzerland. This intelligence was shared with international counterparts and the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol).

Acting on this information, the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) arrested a key operative named Joel Hall, a re-shipper based in Alabama. Authorities seized over 17,000 tablets of controlled medicines from his possession. Multiple crypto wallets and active parcels were recovered, confirming the network's reliance on digital currency and encrypted communications. DEA also intercepted five parcels carrying around 700 grams of Zolpidem, a sedative commonly abused for recreational use.

Meanwhile, a clandestine pill-manufacturing facility linked to the network was busted in Australia by local law enforcement. The factory was found producing tablets for export as part of the syndicate's supply chain. Investigations in other countries are ongoing.

NCB's probe uncovered a multilayered structure with two distinct modules, orders and supply, managed by handlers using encrypted messaging platforms like Telegram and payment systems involving cryptocurrency, PayPal, and Western Union. The syndicate operated a call centre in Udupi, employing approximately 10 staff members, some of whom were reportedly unaware of the criminal operation. Orders placed via the B2B platform were routed through this call centre. Advance payments were made in cryptocurrency, then circulated through supply chain operators who retained a commission before the payments were disbursed to re-shippers in various countries.

According to the NCB, the mastermind who orchestrated the network's logistics and finances from the UAE has been identified, and efforts are ongoing to apprehend him with the assistance of Emirati authorities. Two more Indian nationals were arrested in Jaipur and Delhi in connection with the logistics and supply-side operations. So far, a total of eight individuals have been arrested.

In a strategic move to expand operations, repeat customers were converted into stockists or re-shippers, allowing the syndicate to grow its footprint organically across borders. Several such individuals have been identified by partner agencies abroad.

NCB has also launched financial and cyber investigations to trace cryptocurrency wallets and hawala channels involved in laundering proceeds. Collaborations are underway with private online platforms to shut down illegal pharmacy listings advertising controlled drugs.

This case, authorities say, underlines the growing intersection of digital commerce, encrypted technology, and international logistics in facilitating illicit pharmaceutical trade. It also reinforces the importance of international intelligence-sharing and collaborative enforcement actions. (ANI)