Major Dream Market Vendor Arrested in Germany
In November, the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) made another significant arrest. According to a BKA press release, German authorities apprehended the so-called “top supplier” from Hansa on the Dream Market platform. The supplier, a 29-year-old German national, operated under the aliases “mrdrogenkommandant” and “drogenfahndung.”
Investigators from the BKA, the Central Office for Combating Cybercrime (ZIT), and the Coburg Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation into “mrdrogenkommandant” in August 2017. The investigation revealed that the vendor and several partners lived in the Netherlands but made regular, sometimes daily, trips to Germany. Mrdrogenkommandant and his associates sold in such large quantities that they consistently made trips to various parcel drop-off stations at the end of each workday. The BKA became aware of these daily trips.
The last time Mrdrogenkommandant accessed the Dream Market platform was November 9, 2017. Although this was not immediately reflected in his profile, soon after the 29-year-old vendor disappeared, his previously flawless 4.86/5 rating began to drop. Customers complained that nothing arrived by the promised deadline, or that nothing arrived at all. A few days after the arrest, the BKA released a statement announcing their latest and greatest catch.
On November 9, the vendor arrived in North Rhine-Westphalia with 34 packages. Before he could send them all, the BKA apprehended him. “Immediately after the arrest,” German authorities wrote, “international law enforcement executed search warrants at addresses linked to the suspect’s drug trafficking activities in the Netherlands.” Dutch law enforcement seized more than 75 kilograms of amphetamines, ecstasy, heroin, marijuana, and cocaine. Police also found €400,000 (about $477,320).
Many of the vendor’s customers—including one who picked up a package from the Dream Market supplier on November 8—were caught up in a massive operation targeting darknet users, conducted by German law enforcement. By the time of the November 9 arrest, police had already detained six of the “top client” dealers. According to a press release earlier that month, the Coburg criminal police identified 12 customers and arrested two more. A few days later, the Tübingen prosecutor’s office and the Rottenburg police headquarters announced the arrest of another drug dealer. The press release stated that this dealer received drugs from a “well-known police officer” and a “well-known” suspect.