Union Home Minister Amit Shah praised the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Tuesday for successfully busting a massive international drug cartel through Operation Med Max, calling it a "shining example" of multi-agency coordination under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership.
The global crackdown led to the seizure of 48 consignments and eight arrests spanning four continents and over ten countries. The cartel exploited encrypted apps, cryptocurrencies, and international drop-shipping to smuggle controlled pharmaceuticals like Tramadol and Zolpidem from India to the US, Australia, and parts of Europe.
The operation began with a routine vehicle check in Delhi’s Mandi House on May 25, where two B. Pharma graduates were caught with 3.7 kg of Tramadol tablets. They confessed to running a vendor profile on an Indian B2B platform to attract global buyers.
Subsequent raids in Roorkee, Delhi, and Udupi (Karnataka) uncovered a call centre handling international orders. Forensic data from the suspects revealed 50 international shipments: 29 to the US, 18 to Australia, and one each to Spain, Estonia, and Switzerland.
The operation triggered international cooperation:
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In Alabama, US authorities arrested re-shipper Joel Hall and seized 17,000+ tablets.
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In Australia, a pill-manufacturing unit linked to the network was dismantled.
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Five suspicious parcels containing Zolpidem were intercepted in the US.
The US Embassy in India publicly thanked Indian authorities for helping protect American lives.
The cartel’s operations were highly digitized:
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Orders placed via premium listings on B2B platforms.
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Payments routed through cryptocurrency, layered across countries.
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Repeat buyers were often turned into logistics partners, helping expand the network.
The kingpin has been identified and is based in the UAE, with Indian agencies working closely with Emirati counterparts to secure his extradition.
As the case exposed the convergence of cyber tools and international logistics in modern drug trafficking, Indian agencies have escalated cyber and financial probes, including tracking crypto wallets and hawala networks.
This operation underscores India’s growing capability to tackle global narco-networks through intelligence, technology, and global cooperation.
