The shocking revelations made by some of the officials from India’s Narcotics Control Bureau indicate that operatives who work with Mexican drug cartels in India use the aliases of famous personalities, including former U.S. presidents, Hollywood stars, and even fictional characters, as a ruse to hide their names and air their activities under a veil of secrecy.
Alias Use in Drug Cartels
Today, there is a growing nexus between Mexican drug cartels and Indian drug syndicates in using the names of high-profile figures as cover for the identities of those with dubious activities. According to NCB officials, it provides a conduit for drug-trade operators to remain unobserved as they conduct their operation from anywhere on the globe through encrypted messaging services and darknet connections.
“Mexican cartels run the drug operations from abroad. It is they who connect all the characters. Because drugs are sourced through courier and darknet and meetings are held over video calls on different apps, every person is given a fake name,” said a senior officer involved in the investigation.
A Bust in Greater Noida: The Case of ‘Roosewelt’
Among the most recent raids, on 25 October, an operational methamphetamine laboratory was discovered in Greater Noida; the Mexican Cartel De Jalisco Nueva Generacion, commonly known as the CJNG, was running it. On this raid, the name “Roosewelt” was found but with a “W” and assumed to be an alias of one of the operatives involved. This is just one representation of the intelligent network of false identities the cartels use when working.
“The whole operation is functioning on these pseudonyms and addresses. Nobody involved knows the real names of one another. All transactions are carried out through encrypted messaging services, and even when face-to-face, they use these pseudonyms as well,” the officer furthered.
Global Network of False Identities
The Greater Noida bust is not unusual in offering some alias uniqueness. Some other investigations have unearthed an assortment of weird pseudonyms used by cartel members. A June 6, 2023, bust of a woman involved in the significant LSD smuggling operation merely referred to her as “Lady Windsor,” which is a play off the last name that belongs to the UK Royal Family.
Then there are “Kennedy_John,” “Jimkerry,” “Clinton,” and even “Soulbadman” -and all inspired by someone called Saul Goodman of Breaking Bad. These names are chosen for the express purpose of confusing the law enforcement and for facilitating the evasion of detection of those using such names.
The LSD Trafficking Organization: ‘Zambada’ and ‘Dr Seuss’
Earlier this year, in a related operation, the NCB had busted a cartel smuggling LSD, named after the notorious Mexican drug lord Ismael Zambada Garcia. The cartel was operating anonymously and names such as “Dr Seuss”, a pen name used by the celebrated American author Theodor Geisel, were used to conceal real identities.
“Drug business today is all online. There is no physical meeting. So, these cartel operators come up with such names to maintain secrecy,” the officer added.
Mexican Nationals Sent to Oversee Operations in India
NCB has arrested at least four Mexican nationals who were sent to India to oversee the operations of methamphetamine production in the last year alone.
Indian law enforcement coordination with the US Drug Enforcement Administration has been critical to fight this cross-border drug trafficking network.
Recently, during one such operation, a Mexican national associated with the Cartel De Jalisco Nueva Generacion communicated with the Indian operatives by using an alias called “Uncle Bob”. According to the probe, the Mexican was saved as “Uncle Bob” in the phone of the main accused, Amit Singh, a Delhi-based businessman. Singh himself used the alias “Ravi Gupta” while communicating with the Mexican operative. “To the innocent security guard outside his factory in Greater Noida, he was Rahul,” said another NCB officer.
Secrecy and Isolation in Drugs Business
It’s really interesting how these drug operators manage to keep the secrecy level so high even among their operations personnel directly dealing with each other. They do not know each other’s real identities. That is how they carefully mask and hide their identities from being detected by law enforcement agencies.
In a chilling example of this operational secrecy, while the Mexican operative was exchanging communiqués with Amit Singh, the former had no idea of his real name, merely addressing him through his alias, “Ravi Gupta.” The web of false identities and encryption-based communication schemes has made it that much more challenging for authorities to break such rings.
A Growing Concern for Indian Authorities
These intricate networks of smuggling comprise only a portion of a larger concerning issue India faces with international drug cartels. According to reports, the NCB has collaborated with the U.S. in increasing efforts to dismantle these systems. Still, one of the main obstacles remains in the networks due to modernized tactics of using fictitious names and encrypted communication.
Ongoing Investigations
The methamphetamine and LSD cartels are still under inquiry, with the operatives associated with high-profile aliases continuing to attract the attention of officials. NCB officials have vowed to keep up their work and continue their endeavour, in cooperation with other international agencies, toward having these crime networks exposed and dismantled.
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