India’s NCB & Binance join forces to take down the country’s biggest darknet drug network

In a major breakthrough against crime, India’s Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), with support from the Data Security Council of India (DSCI) and assistance from Binance, dismantled “Ketamelon,” the country’s most sophisticated darknet drug network. The operation unmasked Edison Babu, a former engineer from Kerala, as the mastermind behind a sprawling online drug empire disguised as an e-commerce business.

Binance provided critical investigative support throughout the crackdown, assisting with transaction analysis, identifying wallets associated with the operation, identifying suspects, and freezing illicit digital assets in compliance with applicable legislation. This public-private collaboration demonstrates how blockchain intelligence, combined with exchange cooperation, may transform digital traces into actionable enforcement outcomes.

“Criminals may operate in the shadows of the darknet and use privacy coins thinking they’re invisible, but they inevitably leave digital traces. By leveraging advanced analytics and working hand-in-hand with investigators and other stakeholders, we helped trace and freeze those ...