The Delhi Police have unearthed an international drug cartel operating on the dark web and seized 6 kg of hydroponic weed valued at Rs 2 crore in the international market, authorities said on Sunday.
The seizure is part of operation ‘Kawach’ launched in the city by the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police in view of the coming assembly elections. The police operation is specifically aimed at targeting illicit liquor, drugs, and illegal arms.
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Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch) Satish Kumar said that the syndicate operated through the dark web, used blockchain-based communication applications, and accepted payments in cryptocurrency to avoid interception of the shipments.
The investigation began after receiving information about a specific seller sending drug parcels to India. Acting on the tip-off, multiple drug parcels being imported were intercepted at the Foreign Post Office. These parcels contained around 5.137 kg of hydroponic weed and were sent to a fake address to avoid linkage. The data mining technology helped police to trace Abdul Malik, who was supposed to collect these drugs.
“A raid on Malik’s premises led to the recovery of an additional 871 grams of weed and a mobile phone used for drug transactions. Upon interrogation, Malik revealed that he worked under Nayyar, the kingpin of the syndicate,” Kumar said.
The DCP added, “Nayyar, a BBA graduate from Gurugram, turned to drug trafficking after his family’s cancer medicine export business suffered losses during the COVID-19 pandemic.” Leveraging his knowledge of the dark web, Nayyar ordered high-demand hydroponic weed from the USA, paid via cryptocurrency, and orchestrated deliveries through Malik.
The Delhi Police is committed to ensuring that criminals misusing their stay in the country and endangering public safety are brought to justice, he added.
