International drug cartel smashed in inter-agency raids led by NCB; 8 arrested across four continents

NEW DELHI: Union Home minister Amit Shah praised the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and other enforcement agencies for smashing an international drug cartel syndicate in a big breakthrough that has resulted in eight arrests, including in the United States and Australia. In a social media post on platform X, Amit Shah stated that the government of Narendra Modi is committed to breaking every narco cartel and saving India’s youth, irrespective of where they are based.

The operation, dubbed “Med Max”, is the largest action to date against the illicit pharmaceutical drug trade. The operation, led by the NCB HQ Operations Unit, exposed a sophisticated transnational trafficking network utilising encrypted digital platforms, cryptocurrency-based payments, and anonymous international drop shippers to traffic controlled medications on four continents and through more than ten countries.

The probe started on May 25, when a vehicle was intercepted in Delhi’s Mandi House locality. On board were two B. Pharma pass-outs of a private Noida university, who were discovered with 3.7 kgs of Tramadol tablets.

During their interrogation, it was found that there was a vendor account on one of India’s leading B2B platforms against which pharmaceutical medicines were being supplied to customers in the United States, Europe, and Australia.

From Delhi, the investigation went on to Roorkee, Mayur Vihar, and later Udupi in Karnataka, where the crucial contact was running a bulk shipment network to the US. Investigators found information on 50 international consignments consisting of 29 packages from the US to the US, 18 within Australia, and one each to Estonia, Spain, and Switzerland.

The leads were disseminated to international allies and Interpol, and the result was the arrest of Joel Hall, a large Alabama-based re-shipper, by the US Drug Enforcement Administration.