Drug racket operating through dark web busted in Hyderabad

Officials said the drugs were purchased on dark web using crypto currency. Three cases were booked, one each in Humayun Nagar, Chaderghat and Jubilee Hills.

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Narcotic Enforcement Wing (H-NEW), along with the Humayun Nagar police busted a drug racket operating through the dark web on social network and nabbed eight drug peddlers, including two from other states and identified 30 consumers on Thursday. Psychotropic substances including marijuana, charas, LSD blots and MDMA, altogether worth Rs.9 lakh, were seized.

Officials said the drugs were purchased on dark web using crypto currency. Three cases were booked, one each in Humayun Nagar, Chaderghat and Jubilee Hills.

---

At Humayun Nagar, Narendra Arya, Farhan Mohd.Ansari, Utkarsh Umang and Sahil Sharma were held for drug peddling. At Chaderghat, Abdullah Ansar Ahmed Khan, Indra Kumar was held. At Jubilee Hills, A.Charan Kumar and P.Bushan Raj were arrested.

According to the police, Narendra Arya, who hails from Haryana and settled in Goa, was into online drug peddling from the dark web with the help of social networks for the last one year.

“He used crypto currency and other hidden apps to order narcotics online and get delivered at home. On enquiry it was revealed that nearly Rs.30 lakh worth transactions were made through crypto currency throughout India for drug peddling. He is having nearly 450 consumers throughout the country,” City Police Commissioner CV Anand said.

Another prime suspect and kingpin – Farhan Mohd.Ansari, who is from Rajasthan and currently pursuing BTech is active in the business since six months. He too carries out drug peddling through dark web using crypto currency.

“They use courier service and Indian Postal Service to deliver the drug at home by neatly packing the boxes, envelopes, stationery items and others. He confessed to have made a business of Rs.15 lakh using digital currency throughout the country,” the commissioner said.

On the other hand, the rest of the suspects, who are drug peddlers based in Hyderabad, procured the substance from the drug dealer duo through dark web to conceal their identities.

“The consumers are ordering various drugs like LSD, MDMA, marijuana and hash from dark web for self-consumption and selling it to others,” the commissioner said.

As of now, 30 drug consumers, who are purchasing drugs from the interstate drug dealers were identified and held. Efforts are on to identify others.