The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Tuesday revealed details of one of its biggest drug seizures—15,000 blots of LSD, worth nearly Rs 10.5 crore. The anti-drug agency has arrested six people, including students, who were allegedly part of the pan-India drug trafficking network.
LSD or lysergic acid diethylamide is a synthetic chemical based-drug and is categorised as a hallucinogen. According to reports, the network operated on the darknet, the deep dark side of the internet that is often used for illegal activities.
Payments were made through cryptocurrency and the drugs, mostly LSD, would be brought in from Poland and Netherlands.
“This network operated virtually and the payments were made via cryptocurrency and crypto wallets. The buyer and the seller did not have any physical contact,” NCB deputy director general, Gyaneshwar Singh said. The crackdown was possible after the team tracked multiple social media accounts.
NCB officers also revealed that the accused dipped stamps in LSD, and each of these were cut into half. Each half is an LSD blot, which users swallow. “Because of its size, LSD blot is easier to smuggle such blots. You can hide it in a book or carry it easily,” Singh added.
According to NCB officials, members of the drug syndicate would message potential customers on Instagram, and then the communication would shift to private messaging apps like ‘Wicker Me’. The mastermind of the cartel was arrested from Jaipur.
Till now, the highest seizure of LSD was 5,000 blots by the Karnataka Police in 2021 and by the Kolkata NCB in 2022 in a single operation. Possession of 0.1 gram of LSD, which is the commercial quantity for the hallucinogenic drug, invites strict legal action under the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
