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Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) of India arrested a 35-year-old mechanical engineer, originally a native of Muvattupuzha in Kerala, who was described as having run a large darknet drug syndicate. It is alleged that the suspect, whose name is Edison, was running the network on his own without the knowledge of his family.
Officers involved in the Operation MELON operation seized 1,127 LSD blots, 131 grams of ketamine, and cryptocurrency worth more than 70 lakh rupees (approximately US$82,000).
According to the authorities, Edison, who went by the name Ketamelon on the Internet, organized more than 600 packages of drugs to various cities such as Delhi, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Himachal Pradesh. It is reported that he obtained narcotics through foreign sellers and washed the money through the sale of Monero (XMR), a cryptocurrency intended to hide transactions.
Edison's use of Monero has raised new fears about the role privacy coins play in crime. Monero hides significant transaction information, further complicating the path of money through law enforcement. Chainalysis, a blockchain analytics company, stated that there has been a change in the darknet, with darknet vendors now using privacy-based cryptocurrencies like Monero instead of Bitcoin.
Andrew Fierman, the Chainalysis Head of National Security Intelligence, discussed the additional anonymity of privacy coins but stated they are entirely unidentified. He observed that every transaction is stored on a permanent record so investigators can find suspicious patterns over time. Though Monero is popular for its privacy properties, Bitcoin and Ethereum are still widely used by criminals because of their liquidity and familiarity.
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The NCB used four months to track Edison before the arrest was made. Authorities think he sold up to 10,000 LSD blots a month, not to mention that the projected amount of LSD seized in a single year in Kerala amounts to less than 1,000 units. Edison was reported to be closely in touch with a supplier in the UK referred to as Gunga Din, who was considered to be a leading source of LSD worldwide.
This is the latest international arrest involving crypto-related cybercrime activity. Earlier this week, the U.S. Treasury Department blacklisted a Russian-based Aeza Group on the accusations that the organization supports ransomware activities and darknet drug shops. The NCB affirmed that they are conducting investigations on other supposedly related networks.
