Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that the Narcotics Control Bureau has busted a global drug network, arrested eight people, and triggered enforcement actions in the United States and Australia against a syndicate that operates across four continents and more than ten countries.

Joel Hall, who was a key player in handling the re-shipment of drugs, was taken into custody, which led to the seizure of over 17,000 tablets of regulated medication.

The NCB’s Operation Med Max started around one and a half months ago near Mandi House in New Delhi and eventually led to the arrest of a suspect in the United States, the discovery of illegal drug manufacturing units in Australia, an unauthorised call centre in Udupi, and the identification of a US-based money launderer and a mastermind located in the UAE.

Describing the course of the investigation, a home ministry spokesperson said that on May 25, the operations team of the agency stopped a car near Mandi House in Delhi and arrested two Bachelor of Pharmacy students who were found with 3.7 kilograms of Tramadol tablets. Tramadol was officially declared a controlled drug under the NDPS Act by the Finance Ministry in April 2018.

The spokesperson said, “The arrested individuals confessed to operating a vendor profile on a major Indian B2B platform, from where they sold pharmaceutical pills to clients across the US, Europe, and Australia. Leads from the interrogation led to two chemists in Roorkee, followed by the arrest of a key associate in Mayur Vihar, Delhi, who revealed connections with a contact in Udupi (Karnataka) responsible for organising bulk orders for shipments to the US.”

In Udupi, the NCB team traced a digital record showing that these Indian suspects were arranging deliveries, including 29 packages to the US, 18 to Australia, and one each to Estonia, Spain and Switzerland, after which the DEA, Interpol and Australian authorities were involved in the case.

An NCB officer who did not want to be named said, “This gang did not ship the medicines within India. They had multiple reshippers in different countries. These reshippers, after receiving the controlled drug, shipped it within their countries. We are probing the sources of the tablets in India.”

A statement from the Press Information Bureau said that based on NCB’s input, the US Drug Enforcement Administration followed the trail of the American shipment and arrested a major reshipper and a money launderer in Alabama, along with a large quantity of controlled drugs. The network used encrypted apps like Telegram for communication, accepted payments through cryptocurrency, PayPal and Western Union, and used anonymous global delivery services to avoid being caught.

In Australia, the authorities dismantled a secret facility where pills were being manufactured. An NCB officer said, “Controlled drugs such as Tramadol and others were being manufactured there too. Their Indian counterparts were taking orders in bulk and coordinating with the owner for supply within Australia.”

Home Minister Amit Shah posted on X, “Congratulations to NCB and all agencies on busting a global drug cartel. The probe set a stellar example of multi-agency coordination, resulting in 8 arrests and seizures of five consignments while triggering crackdowns in the US and Australia against the ring that operates across 4 continents and 10+ nations. Our agencies are constantly monitoring sophisticated modes like crypto payments and anonymous drop shippers used by these gangs. PM Shri Narendra Modi Ji-led govt is determined to saw off every drug cartel and protect our youth, no matter where they operate from.”

Responding to Shah’s post, the United States Embassy in India said, “Thanks to NCB and Indian authorities for helping Americans against illegal drugs and saving American lives.”