There is a heightened sense of excitement and expectation in Germany as the police managed to nab a Dutch national who was selling drugs online.
The arrested individual is said to have used the darknet to sell the drugs, and his clientele appears to be from all over, including the United States, Australia and even as far as Thailand.
More details may emerge as the police interrogate him and dig deeper.
Full Details Yet to be Revealed
One of the reasons for the hype with the latest arrest in Germany is that German police took possession of an exceptionally large quantity of drugs from the Dutch national's residence.
The quantity of narcotics is quoted at 200 kgs, or 440 pounds. According to rough estimates, this could be sold in the international market for over $3.5 million - a huge haul for a single case.
The drugs confiscated included cannabis-infused chocolate, cocaine, ecstasy and amphetamines, all prohibited substances.
The police will have to find more information on how the accused person handled the logistics, as he was in the remote city of Wuppertal in the Western part of the country.
The limited details currently available indicate the man was 29 years old and that he mailed the drugs to the buyers.
One in a Series of Such Arrests
Earlier this month, the police in Sydney, Australia, arrested a university student when a packet of prohibited drugs was being delivered to him at his doorstep.
He was said to be selling the drug to other students in the university, and the police there are still investigating. There have also been similar arrests made in the UK and the USA in the recent past.
The common link in all these cases, including the latest one out of Germany, is that they all used the darknet to do the trading, buying or selling. The only new factor in the Germany arrest is that the seller has been caught in the act.
In most other cases, it was the buyer or consumer receiving the drugs that were caught.
Even in the Germany arrest of the Dutch national and the drugs seized from him, the cops are investigating to find where the person managed to get his drugs and who else was involved in the illicit trade.
The Darknet Provides them the Platform
As mentioned, the online selling of drugs, particularly the prohibited substances, is invariably done over the darknet, the part of the internet which is not commonly open for all.
It is accessed through Tor, a special software and dedicated anonymity browser. Those intending to access the darknet, download Tor on their system and then search and locate sites within the network to buy or sell their wares.
Over the years, drugs, stolen goods such as high-value paintings and other artifacts, guns and other counterfeit items have been sold and bought within the darknet. Payments for the trades are done using cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin.
This again provides protection from law enforcement agencies since the transactions cannot be traced easily.
Law Not Far Behind
Nevertheless, the law enforcement agencies around the world are not sitting quiet and allowing grass to grow under their feet.
Extraordinary steps have been taken, and one of the institutions firmly behind these moves is the US Justice Department, who is being ably supported by the FBI at the ground and 'cloud' level.
The agencies have used many methods to catch some of these criminals.
In the case of drugs, it has been a bit easier since there are many individuals out there who feel the larger interest of the society is more important and supply inside information in the form of tipoffs, with which the agencies do the rest.
In some cases, the detectives have accessed the same darknet sites, placed orders for the drugs and, through the communications, have tried locating the criminals.
Irrespective of the history, the latest German arrest may lead to more arrests in the coming days.
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