NEW DELHI — In one of the most extensive international crackdowns on illegal pharmaceutical trafficking, India’s Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has dismantled a global drug syndicate spanning four continents and more than 10 countries. The investigation, codenamed Operation Med Max, has resulted in eight arrests, five seizures, and triggered parallel enforcement actions in the United States and Australia.
India’s Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah congratulated the NCB and other agencies involved, emphasizing the Modi government’s unwavering resolve to dismantle global drug networks.
“Congratulations to NCB and all agencies on busting a global drug cartel,” Shah said Tuesday in a post on X. “The probe set a stellar example of multi-agency coordination… PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji-led government is determined to saw off every drug cartel and protect our youth, no matter where they operate from.”
The transnational syndicate was uncovered following a routine vehicle interception on May 25 near Mandi House in New Delhi, where officers seized 3.7 kg of Tramadol tablets from two B. Pharma graduates. Investigations soon unraveled a sprawling international network trafficking pharmaceutical drugs via encrypted platforms, cryptocurrency payments, and anonymous drop shipping models.
According to NCB officials, the Delhi seizure led to multiple arrests across India—including in Roorkee, Mayur Vihar, Udupi, New Delhi, and Jaipur—and exposed a vendor operation selling controlled medications via a major B2B platform. The group reportedly shipped illicit consignments to the U.S., Australia, and several European countries.
Authorities say 50 international shipments were identified, including 29 within the U.S., 18 within Australia, and one each to Estonia, Spain, and Switzerland.
The syndicate’s digital sophistication allowed it to operate under the radar. “Encrypted messaging apps like Telegram, crypto wallets, and a chain of international drop shippers enabled them to operate globally while remaining virtually anonymous,” a senior NCB official said.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), acting on NCB intelligence, arrested Joel Hall, a key re-shipper in Alabama. Over 17,000 tablets of controlled medication, cryptocurrency wallets, and active parcels linked to the network were recovered. The DEA also seized five parcels containing approximately 700 grams of Zolpidem tablets.
A clandestine pill factory in Australia, also tied to the syndicate, was dismantled in a parallel operation by Australian law enforcement.
Officials say the syndicate’s operations were divided into an “orders module” and a “supply module.” A call center in Udupi managed orders placed via the B2B platform, while payments were processed in cryptocurrency and dispersed among handlers and re-shippers.
The syndicate’s mastermind has been identified in the UAE, and NCB is coordinating with Emirati authorities to pursue further legal action.
India’s enforcement agencies continue to investigate the syndicate’s financial networks, including crypto wallet transactions and hawala channels. The NCB is also collaborating with private sector platforms to combat the online proliferation of illicit pharmacies.
“This is a wake-up call on how technology is being exploited by organized crime. But it also shows what’s possible through global coordination and intelligence-sharing,” an official involved in the operation said.
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