Operation Deep Source: Tamil Nadu Police Bust Inter-State Drugs Syndicate

What started as routine seizures of suspicious courier packages in three Tamil Nadu districts has unravelled into a nationwide narcotics syndicate operating across 19 states and Union Territories. Following a prolonged trail, Tamil Nadu's South Zone Police tracked down and arrested two suspected key operators of the syndicate in Haryana's Ambala Cantonment, exposing a discreet pipeline that moved narcotic tablets through postal and private courier services for over a year.
The operation, codenamed Operation Deep Source, was launched in July 2026 after police received intelligence inputs about an organised drug trafficking network operating across several states.

So far, 18 people have been arrested-including the latest two from Ambala on November 2. Police have registered seven cases across Tamil Nadu's Madurai, Dindigul, and Theni districts, seizing 4,400 narcotic tablets in the process.

Tamil Nadu South Zone IG Vijayendra Bidari told NDTV that the focus has shifted from arrests of people at the bottom of the supply chain and identifying those orchestrating the trade.

"Our focus is not merely on catching the last person in the drug trafficking chain, but on reaching the source and dismantling the entire network via detailed investigation," he said.

The investigation gathered momentum after police intercepted a suspicious postal parcel at Kandamanur in Theni district on August 18. Similar seizures were done in Thenkarai and other locations in Dindigul and Madurai, revealing a common pattern - all consignments were traced to Ambala Cantonment in Haryana.

The tablets seized were identified as Tapentadol, including those marketed under the brand name Tydol.

Modus Operandi Of The Syndicate

A major breakthrough came when an analysis of postal and courier booking records revealed that 588 parcels had been dispatched using customer accounts in Ambala over the preceding year. These consignments were destined for 19 states and Union Territories, with 11 parcels specifically bound for Tamil Nadu.

Police identified Mahender Singh Bisht as a key coordinator allegedly handling the dispatch of the consignments through an establishment at Mohan Nagar in Nanhera, Ambala Cantonment. Further investigation revealed links to another man identified as Sunil Kumar, who is based in Jammu and Kashmir and was allegedly facilitating the supply of the tablets to Tamil Nadu.

Investigators also found that the accused allegedly used fake identities and false sender addresses to conceal their identities and evade detection.

Challenges Of Tracking Courier-Based Drug Network

Using postal and private courier services to move consignments across state boundaries, coupled with fake identities and false sender addresses made tracing the network a big investigative challenge.

Police sensitised postal authorities and courier agencies, asking them to identify suspicious parcels originating from outside Tamil Nadu. This intervention helped intercept multiple consignments and establish links between what initially appeared to be isolated cases of drug distribution.

A special police team then travelled to Haryana and arrested Mahender Singh Bisht and Sunil Kumar on November 2. After securing a transit warrant from the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Ambala, the team brought the two accused to Tamil Nadu for further probe.

Bidari said Operation Deep Source involved months of coordinated planning to identify the alleged kingpins and disrupt the supply chain.

"Operation Deep Source involved months of coordinated planning for zeroing in on the kingpins, disrupting their entire supply chains and has definitely dented the courier-based drug trafficking networks effectively," he said.

Investigation Widens

With the alleged supply network now traced beyond Tamil Nadu, investigators are examining the financial trail, bank accounts and wider communication networks of the accused to identify other associates, beneficiaries and the full extent of the illegal trade.

Relevant inputs are also being shared with probe agencies in other states for further action.