Several Darknet Drug Dealers Arrested in Russia

Several Darknet Drug Dealers Arrested in Russia

According to reports from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD), authorities have arrested three Russian citizens for selling drugs online. These individuals are believed to have been part of an organized group involved in the illegal drug trade, allegedly selling illicit substances in exchange for cryptocurrencies.

The Investigative Department of the MVD in the Kaluga region has been investigating three suspects connected to the organized distribution of drugs via the Internet. Two of the suspects lived in the Maloyaroslavets area (Kaluga region), and one resided in the Zhizdrinsky district. According to investigators, these individuals began actively selling controlled substances at the beginning of 2017.

The authorities have charged the men with the illegal sale of large quantities of banned drugs and psychotropic substances. The law provides for a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison for all three suspects.

Additional Arrests in Chelyabinsk Region

Shortly before the arrests in the Kaluga region, officers from the Federal Drug Control Service (FSKN) launched an investigation into online drug dealers in the Chelyabinsk region. The investigation began with the arrest of a single man but later expanded to include a total of seven suspects in Chelyabinsk and Kopeysk.

Authorities discovered a drug warehouse in the city of Chelyabinsk containing nearly 40 kilograms of various illegal substances. During the investigation into the warehouse owners and other illegal activities related to the storage site, police arrested a 28-year-old man.

The investigation revealed that the 28-year-old acted as a so-called “warehouse manager” for a group of online drug traffickers. He supplied at least seven accomplices involved in distributing synthetic drugs via the Internet. Payments were accepted in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

How Were They Caught?

According to the article, police tracked cryptocurrency transactions to debit cards. The Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Chelyabinsk region announced that the investigation is ongoing and that authorities are aware of additional participants, as well as other unreported crimes committed by the group.

Commentary from the original source questioned how authorities could track cryptocurrency movements to debit cards, suggesting that the suspects may have used their personal debit cards without intermediaries or made transfers exceeding 300,000 rubles, which could have attracted attention. The article notes that foreigners may not be familiar with the nuances of conducting this type of business in Russia, making the situation unclear.

After packaging and other preparations, “sales were conducted through an automated order processing system on a well-known website,” said Irina Volk, an official representative of the Russian MVD. The FSB also played a role in the arrest of two suspects, according to Volk.

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