India Launches Crypto Task Force to Combat Darknet Drug Trade
India's Ministry of Home Affairs has established a specialized Crypto Task Force under the Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) to disrupt narcotics trafficking and illicit financial flows on the darknet. Announced on February 10, 2026, the unit represents a strategic pivot toward combating cyber-enabled crime as criminal networks increasingly migrate to anonymous digital channels.
The task force will coordinate efforts between the Narcotics Control Bureau and state police forces through real-time data sharing and trend analysis. Minister Nityanand Rai emphasized its role in dismantling the digital infrastructure supporting illegal trade, with plans to modernize legislation to counter evolving cybercrime tactics.
Operational capabilities are being enhanced through NIDAAN - a centralized database profiling 950,000 known drug offenders. This system enables forensic tracing of cryptocurrency transactions to identify financiers of illicit operations, applying a 'follow-the-money' approach to disrupt criminal supply chains.