Police have arrested three men from Brockton, Massachusetts who are suspected of running a sizable drug syndicate on the dark web.
The suspects-23-year-old Steven McCall, 22-year-old Binh Le and 22-year-old Allante Pires-are said to have set up the headquarters of their drug operation in Stoughton, from where they distributed their product across the state.
More than 20 pounds of ecstasy and ketamine were seized after an undercover investigation by state and local law enforcement personnel.
McCall, Le and Pires have all pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges.
Undercover Operation and Arrest
According to Norfolk County prosecutors, the arrest came after a multi-disciplinary investigation that began in January.
One officer from the team was chosen to go undercover and trick the drug vendors into a trap.
The agent purchased two orders of ecstasy from their vendor handle in an undisclosed darknet market in January and February.
Le then allegedly sent the orders to the undercover agent through U.S. Postal Service mailboxes.
The detective, later on, received a package with five ecstasy tabs weighing a total of 2 grams.
More undercover detectives were put on 24-hour surveillance of a certain office in Central Station, Stoughton, which was suspected of being the storage area for the drugs.
Le was seen exiting the office with a trash bag, which he threw in a dumpster just outside the building.
Police later recovered the bag and reported that it contained 1.2 kilograms of ecstasy.
At around the same time, an undercover postal agent had been communicating with Le about a Bitcoin-to-USD currency exchange.
A report from state police presented in court read that Le told the agent he was looking forward to trading his Bitcoins in exchange for $200,000 in cash.
After the two made a deal, they agreed to meet at a local hotel on March 27 at noon.
Detectives carrying out surveillance on the storage facility reported that just before the meeting time, Pires and Le went to the storage office in Stoughton.
The two exited the building a few minutes later with Le carrying a money counting machine.
They then took a black Mercedes from the building's designated parking lot and drove to the hotel.
Le went into the hotel alone, while Pires was left in the car, possibly as a runaway driver in case the deal turned out to be compromised.
Le and the detective carried out the exchange successfully without Le suspecting anything abnormal.
Following the confirmation, police arrested the two suspects. Apart from the money counter, a key to the storage facility was found in their possession.
Police acquired a search warrant for Le's home as well as the storage unit. At the storage unit, they discovered 11 pounds of ketamine (popularly known as "Special K") and more than 13 pounds of ecstasy, all of which were seized by law enforcement.
They also recovered and seized digital weighing scales, packaging items, a pill pressing machine, thermal sealing machines and almost $120,000 in cash.
McCall attempted to escape the police through a side door, but police were quick to act and apprehended him before he could do so.
Court Proceedings
The three men were arraigned in Stoughton District Court a day after their arrest and were charged with drug trafficking of more than 200 grams of ecstasy and ketamine over the dark web.
Le got an additional charge of distributing a Class B substance. The three men pleaded not guilty.
Le, McCall and Pires are now awaiting their next hearing on May 3. Previous criminal offenses, if any, and the extent of their business will determine how long their sentences will be.
The three defense attorneys representing the respective suspects commented to local media about their clients' legal history.
Both McCall and Pires have clean arrest records, while Le only has one prior entry for trespassing.
Disclaimer:
The articles and content found on Dark Web News are for general information purposes only and are not intended to solicit illegal activity or constitute legal advice. Using drugs is harmful to your health and can cause serious problems including death and imprisonment, and any treatment should not be undertaken without medical supervision.