NCB busts India's biggest darknet vendor of drugs in Kerala - What is Ketamelon

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

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has claimed to dismantle India’s most prolific darknet drug syndicate operating under the name “Ketamelon”, The New Indian Express reported.

The NCB Cochin Zonal Unit arrested two men in connection with the case and seized over Rs 1 crore worth of narcotics and crypto assets from their possession, an official was quoted by TINE as saying.

One of the accused, who is a native of Muvattupuzha in Kerala’s Ernakulam, is believed to be the kingpin. Details of the other accused are not revealed yet. Marking one of the biggest LSD busts in the country, the NCB seized 1,127 LSD blots, 131.66 grams of Ketamine, and cryptocurrency assets worth Rs 70 lakh during a raid, the report added.

🚨 NCB BUSTS DARKNET KINGPIN – KETAMELON IN OPS MELON 🚨 In a major crackdown, NCB Cochin busted India’s only Level-4 darknet drug vendor, 🔥 KETAMELON 🔥, seizing: 🔹 1,127 LSD blots 🧠 🔹 131.66g Ketamine 💉 🔹 ₹70 Lakhs in USDT 💰 (via hardware wallet) 🔹 Darknet tools: KITES… pic.twitter.com/KqvfXcw07h

— NCB INDIA (@narcoticsbureau) July 1, 2025

The high-stakes operation code-named 'Operation MELON' was initiated on June 28 when officers intercepted 280 LSD blots from three international parcels at the Kochi International Post Office.

As per the report, all three seized parcels were traced back to the prime accused in Muvattupuzha. A raid at his residence the next day led to the recovery of 847 more LSD blots and over 130 grams of Ketamine -- together valued at Rs 35.12 lakh.

During the raid, officials also 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, the report added.

The officials also found evidence of custodial wallets on global platforms like Binance, which are now under scrutiny. As per the report, NCB sources revealed that the accused 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, the report added.

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, the report added.

“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 was quoted by TINE.