An indictment has been filed by the U.S. District Court in Cleveland, Ohio against two Canadian accomplices, Louis-Vincent Bourcier and Robert Mitrache, for importing and trafficking methamphetamine, heroin, carfentanil, fentanyl and other opioids to Ohio.
Bourcier, 34, received a 12-year sentence in January for his role in leading operations for "Pharmaphil," a dark web vendor account.
The former Canadian soldier is alleged to have shipped the drugs to darknet customers through the mail.
As is usually the case for transactions carried out in the underground markets, the defendant is said to have received the payments via cryptocurrency.
According to the indictment, Mitrache and Bourcier maintained their anonymity by using encrypted messaging apps like WhatsApp and darknet messaging services that obscure IP addresses.
Compelling Evidence
With at least 1,500 confirmed sales, the two Quebec citizens mostly operated their "Pharmaphil" vendor page on AlphaBay, The Majestic Garden and Dream Market.
AlphaBay was seized in 2017 and Dream Market voluntarily closed last month.
According to a statement from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), evidence suggests that the drugs Bourcier and Mitrache are charged with trafficking were manufactured in a residential laboratory in Chateauguay. This lab was dismantled by RCMP officers.
In addition to Mitrache and Bourcier, Canadian authorities apprehended three other suspects during the operation, known as "Project Crocodile," at the Pharmaphil laboratory.
Among these suspects was Bourcier's wife who was later acquitted due to a lack of evidence against her, according to French-language news outlet La Presse.
The Investigations
Investigations began in April 2017 when a federal officer suffered fentanyl poisoning while inspecting a mailed package.
Following the investigations, Mitrache and Bourcier were charged with and convicted of four counts of possession, conspiracy and export for the purpose of trafficking drugs.
They are both currently incarcerated in Canada and have not yet been extradited to the U.S. to face the charges filed in Cleveland, according to a U.S. Department of Justice statement.
Of their 12-year sentences, Bourcier and Mitrache are facing a remaining term of around 10 years and one month.
Though he received the same sentence as Mitrache, Quebec Court Justice Sylvie Kovacevich reiterated Bourcier's "important role" in running a criminal enterprise whose activities extended to other countries worldwide, according to La Presse.
The defense tried to argue post-traumatic stress disorder for Bourcier.
His lawyer also argued that the defendant had a well-paying job and consequently did not need to commit the crimes levied against him.
Before the disruption of its operations, Pharmaphil appealed to customers from the U.S., Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, Portugal and Austria.
Disclaimer:
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