City of London police recently raided the residence of a man in Loughton, Essex who was suspected to be manufacturing and supplying drugs on the dark web.
The raid was conducted quite early in the morning and deemed to be successful due to the amount of evidence recovered, which would be useful in building a strong case against the 49-year-old individual.
During the raid, law enforcement seized almost £12,000 in cash, a stun gun, a significant amount of cannabis, two cocaine presses and £300,000 worth of cocaine.
The man, who remains unnamed by authorities, first came up on the police radar when the relatively new London Police Cyber Crime Unit began investigating dark web markets and illegal activities taking place therein.
Because trade of illegal items on the dark web is quite rampant, it was inevitable that the police would come across someone from their jurisdiction in these markets.
An investigation then led them to the activities of the suspect in Loughton.
Drug Manufacturing
The fact that two cocaine presses were among the items recovered from the suspect's residence will likely play a major part in proving that he was processing cocaine which he would later sell on the dark web.
This is quite a lucrative business as it offers high profits and a slim risk of getting caught.
However, shortcuts are always dangerous. In the United Kingdom, if one is found guilty of being in possession of cocaine or crack, which happens to be a class A drug, one can end up serving up to seven years in prison and/or an unlimited fine.
The punishment becomes tougher when one is found guilty of producing and supplying cocaine or crack because one may get a life sentence to prison and/or an unlimited fine.
Charges
Other than facing charges of possession and possession with intent to distribute cocaine, the suspect may also face charges of possession and possession with intent to distribute cannabis, which can carry up to five years in prison and/or an unlimited fine and up to 14 years in prison and/or an unlimited fine respectively.
Such are the charges the suspect might be looking at, and he may end up spending a significant period of his life in prison.
However, the man has since been released from police custody on bail.
Law Enforcement
In a statement to the public, London Police Cyber Crime Unit Detective Inspector Gary Robinson said he believes that the extensive investigation by his unit bore an "excellent result."
He added that the dark web is a relatively new area for law enforcement to police.
In conclusion, he said that they are looking into how they can investigate this new area to improve and be more efficient; he also said that they are trying to be innovative to find solutions for the complexities of policing the dark web.
