As many as 92 cases of using darknet and cryptocurrencies to buy drugs have been recorded in India since 2020 till April 2024, Home Minister Nityanand Rai told Parliament on Wednesday. Rai's response was in response to questions raised by opposition MP Jose K. Mani on drug trafficking. One of the questions was "Has the government noticed the increasing use of technology and other online methods in trafficking drugs in the country?" The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), the competent authority for drug law enforcement matters, registered three such darknet and crypto-related cases in 2020, 49 in 2021, eight in 2022, 21 in 2023 and 11 till April 2024. The data does not distinguish how many of the 92 cases were related to the darknet only and how many were related to crypto only in terms of transaction method. During the same period, there were 1,025 cases involving parcels or couriers. Rai also said a special task force has been set up to monitor such suspicious drug-related transactions, in addition to other preventive measures. (CoinDesk)