A court in Portsmouth, England has just served a jail sentence in the case of a father and a son who operated drug-selling operations on various dark web markets. They are alleged to have imported ecstasy pills to users for several years with high-end profit.
The two were arrested on concrete evidence as they were caught with the drugs which they had imported through their dark web vendor shops.
This was according to a report given to the media by the police agents who arrested the suspects.
The son, Kurt Lailan, had very little education about technology, according to his mother. Still, he was able to run a drug business online with demanding software that enabled him to operate anonymously.
The father, who was of South African origin, is considered to come from a wealthy family according to his wife. Allegedly, the father and son had been in the business of dark web drug dealing since 2013.
Kurt's mother, Shareen Lailan, has been cited giving evidence on how her husband had been controlling their son to be in the business.
They were involved in smuggling of ecstasy, which is classified as a class A drug.
This is a type of drug which is constantly being abused by many younger generations in search of its effects, oblivious to the danger associated with the drug's impact on their health.
During the court hearing, which saw Kurt imprisoned for 16 years, the judge was told that the drugs had caused the deaths of two young brothers in 2014.
It was alleged that the two victims, Torin and Jacques Lakeman, had bought ecstasy pills from the dark web page run by Lailan.
This allegation was quickly challenged by Lailan's lawyer, who was cited saying that the two deaths were not related to the drugs. The Portsmouth Crown Court heard the case, which was presented with all the evidence collected relating to the suspects.
It took more than a week for the trial and hearing to commence, which ended up with the suspect being jailed.
According to the police officials investigating the case, the two suspects have been importing ecstasy pills in the form of jigsaw puzzle boxes. It was after the border patrol officials intercepted a large quantity of about 8,000 tablets of jigsaw puzzle boxes containing the ecstasy pills.
They were alleged to have been imported from Holland through the dark web page that was run by Lailan. The law enforcement came to find out that Lailan had more than one vendor shop that he used to sell drugs anonymously to users.
The vendor shops included "Stone Island," "Stone Island 1," "Stone Island +" and "Tony Soprano999," which were run on different dark web markets including AlphaBay, Agora, Hansa and Nucleus.
Most of these markets have already been seized by law enforcement and no longer operate in the dark web.
The judge who was hearing the proceedings in court was told that the two suspects were using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin to buy and sell the drugs online.
This was a convenient payment method for them as it provided true anonymity without any trace of the transactions.
The two suspects were using jigsaw puzzle boxes to smuggle the pills without raising any alarm.
What made them survive in the business for so long without being caught was that no one ever came to buy the items physically-they were ordered from dark web markets and subsequently sent through the mail.
They made hundreds of thousands of dollars in Bitcoin. The police investigators were able to connect their high-end lifestyle to the success of their drug dealing business.
It is alleged that their bank accounts had cash increments since 2013 which came from a spike in sales to even more drug users on the dark web.
When they arrested him, law enforcement officials confiscated Lailan's computer and other electronics to help further in the investigation.
The court was told that Lailan threw away the memory stick he was carrying to a nearby garden fence.
The police also found an iPhone 5 which, together with other electronics, was used to get more information about the business. It gave the investigators a cutting edge to consolidating the evidence required in court to imprison the suspects.
Lailan is cited denying allegations of being involved in the smuggling and distribution of ecstasy pills to users through dark web markets.
This may be a move on the part of his lawyers to buy time for defense.
Since investigators intercepted the ecstasy pills that were set to be supplied to users, the level of ecstasy pills in the streets have reduced drastically-showing that the two men were responsible for a large supply of ecstasy.
The drug dealer now faces a jail term of about 16 years in prison as decided by judges from the Portsmouth Crown Court.
The war on drug dealers is not yet over as many more dealers continue operating online through dark web markets. Law enforcement from different interested nations will have to unite and continue to fight the dark web drug dealers who are selling their products worldwide.
More sophisticated means of smuggling drugs have evolved on a global scale, making it difficult for law enforcement to catch up with the increased demand.
In response, they're calling for police agents around the world to step up their game in the fight against drugs.
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.
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