The Hyderabad Narcotics Enforcement Wing (H-NEW) busted a drug trafficking ring with networks on the dark web and apprehended two accused, who police described as dark web kingpins, and six others who are allegedly drug peddlers from Hyderabad.
This is the first time that H-NEW has busted drug trafficking gangs that operate on the dark web.
According to police, the kingpins have been identified as Narendra Arya alias Holy Shop, a resident of Goa and Farhan Mohammad Ansari alias Treeminator, a native of Rajasthan. The six drug peddlers have been identified as Utkarsh Umang alias Ashu, Sahil Sharma, Abdullah Khan, Indra Kumar, A Charan Kumar and P Bushan Raj. Additionally, as many as 30 drug users have been identified, who Hyderabad City Police Commissioner C V Anand described as “educated and from affluent backgrounds”. Mr Anand said that payment for these narcotics was by means of cryptocurrency.
Police seized 140 g hash, 184 blots of LSD, 10 g MDMA, seven mobile phones and ₹ 2,000 in cash.
According to the police, Arya has allegedly been involved in drug trafficking online for around a year using hidden apps. He allegedly made transactions worth ₹ 30 lakh by means of cryptocurrency and has a client base of 450 users. Meanwhile, Ansari is an engineering student who uses courier services and delivers drugs in neatly packed boxes and envelopes. Mr Anand displayed narcotics concealed in an innocuous-looking envelope containing A 4 size papers.
The six alleged drug peddlers drugs from Arya and Ansari as well as Zambacartel on the dark web. Police said that Umag and Sahil are from Hyderabad and graduated from the same college.
Mr Anand said that parents of drug users are being informed and their rehabilitation and deaddiction process is underway. Requesting parents to be alert, Mr Anand said, “If you have a doubt, I request you to open couriers and check the contents.”
He said that the approach to drug users must not be limited to booking cases against them. The process of counselling is important. So far, as many as 231 persons have appeared for the first round of counselling, he said.
