An 18-year-old young man is at the center of a dark web drug trafficking operation in Finland. The suspect allegedly went by the nickname "TeknoJeesus" on the Tor network of the dark web.
He was allegedly the mastermind of a highly organized crime system that dealt in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs.
Southern Finland law enforcement officers arrested the teenager while conducting their crackdown on crime syndicates dealing illicit drugs on the dark web.
The authorities raided the suspect's house in August 2018. They confiscated sizeable amounts of illegal drugs including ecstasy, amphetamines, cocaine and MDMA from his apartment and in three outdoor caches.
Furthermore, during this raid, the police found about 22,000 euros in cash, along with a handgun.
Although they arrested the teen suspect, the crimes still went on.
The police reported that another 21-year-old man continued to run the first suspect's business along with his accomplices. They arrested the rest of the suspects in November.
The police completed the preliminary investigation after having recovered a total of 80 grams of methamphetamine, 1.3 kilos of MDMA, 60 grams of cocaine, about 3,000 ecstasy pills, small quantities of LSD, cannabis as well as ketamine.
They handed the findings over to the prosecutor's office.
The Sale and Delivery of the Drugs
Rauno Jämsä, the detective inspector, reported that after keeping an eye on the user "TeknoJeesus" on the dark web, the authorities established that he was one of the most active drug dealers in the ecosystem.
Furthermore, when the police searched the suspect's apartment, they recovered envelopes ready for shipment to buyers.
The envelopes had labels with the addresses of the intended recipients.
The police rounded up the target recipients for the preliminary phase of the investigations and questioned them.
Based on police reports, the clients ordered the drugs through a darknet website. They paid for their goods mostly using cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin.
The use of cryptocurrency made it difficult for the authorities to trail the money.
The suspect supposedly intended to ship the drugs by post. The addresses on the labels indicated that the suspect sold drugs throughout the country.
High-Earning Drug Syndicate
The authorities arrested eight individuals on suspicion of aiding in the drug distribution. The suspects are of ages 18 to 21 years, with the youngest suspect (the aforementioned 18-year-old teenager) leading the group's operations.
Overall, the syndicate allegedly sold drugs worth 160,000 euros. Out of the total amount, 110,000 euros was in Bitcoin.
The police found the transactions on the suspects' Bitcoin wallets for the year 2018.
The suspects would then use the cryptocurrency from their drug trade to reinvest in their business, which included getting new supplies of drugs to replenish their stock.
Global Trend: Teenagers Involved in Darknet Drug Trade
Technology has increasingly exposed teenagers to criminal activity on the dark web over the past few years.
Across the globe, numerous teenagers and young adults have gotten into trouble with the authorities due to their involvement in online drug crimes.
The cases span geographically from Utah to Massachusetts, coastal Great Britain to Scotland, to New Zealand and beyond.
In a similar case, U.S. police arrested another teenager in Pennsylvania in September 2018 for running a drug ring on the dark web.
The 19-year-old suspect, Noah Hendricks, allegedly headed a drug syndicate comprising 14 people, whom the authorities also apprehended.
Hendricks' group allegedly sold ecstasy, Percocet, codeine and Xanax pills. Police reports indicated that his exploits began back when he was still in high school, where he dealt marijuana.
Earlier on, in 2015, two teenagers in Baltimore used their hacking and software design skills to create a drug empire.
They would steal drugs from pharmacies and sell them throughout the country. The two 18-year-olds claimed that they got their inspiration from Silicon Valley entrepreneurs.
Law enforcement agencies have made a lot of effort in fighting the purchase and distribution of narcotics via the dark web.
However, they still face challenges caused by the use of fake IP addresses and the numerous layers of encryption on most servers.
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.
