BENGALURU: The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Bengaluru Zonal Unit (BZU) in the past two months has booked nine cases in which hydro ganja worth around Rs 15 lakh, along with drugs like LSD, cocaine, hashish and Psilocybin mushrooms were seized. The NCB arrested 27 persons, including women. “The NCB unit undertook controlled delivery operations and not only managed to arrest the receiver, but also the persons involved in financing, transporting and distribution of the drugs,” said BZU director P Aravindhan.
He added that a “common modus operandi was used in all these cases wherein the contraband drugs were booked through the Darknet, and in some closed Telegram and WhatsApp groups. The payments were made through cryptocurrency and other online payment channels. The accused belong to the 20-25 age group and are mostly students and art/software professionals,” the officer added. They are well educated and hail from Kolkata, Chennai, and Delhi and are settled in Bengaluru.
“In one case, the drug supplier was operating from Siliguri, West Bengal, and was distributing the contraband through a local courier company to various destinations across the country. His customers ordered drugs via WhatsApp and payments were made through UPI,” added Aravindhan. Among the arrested accused, 13 are from Bengaluru, one each from Iran, Delhi, Mumbai, Haryana, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh; two each from Kolkata and Tamil Nadu and three from Hyderabad.