Amid the upsurge of darknet-supported MDMA trafficking in recent years, the extremely popular party drug has continued claiming the lives of its users.
In the latest development, a teenager in the U.K. has been thrown behind bars for 14 months after being held responsible for supplying deadly MDMA to his friends.
Charlie Gregory, the 19-year-old accused person, was found guilty of purchasing an amount of MDMA (ecstasy powder) off the dark web, using Bitcoins, to be consumed by his clique at a Basshunter concert.
Aaron Reilly and Joshua Brock, the victims in the case, are said to have collapsed and died after consuming the drug at a Plymouth nightclub in December 2017.
MDMA Bought Using Bitcoin
The court heard that the accused bought £56 worth of ecstasy on the dark web using Bitcoin, supplying the substance to his friends which ended in the death of Reilly and Brock.
Reportedly, the two victims passed out in the club at 2 a.m. and were later pronounced dead at the Derriford Hospital.
Judge Robert Linford cross examined Gregory and voiced his concern over the increased use of banned substances by younger populations.
He wondered whether the suppliers and consumers of ecstasy really understand the impact of such substances on human health.
In questioning the defendant, the judge blamed Gregory for playing a role in cutting short the lives of two young men in such avoidable circumstances.
The Judgement
In the judgement, Judge Linford told Gregory, who had pleaded guilty in a past court session, that he was being sentenced for drug supply.
This sentence was in lieu of manslaughter which, according to the judge, was influenced by the defendant's lack of knowledge regarding the purity of the drugs.
Also, at least in the court's eyes, Gregory had not determined the accurate amount of substance before putting it in the wraps to issue his friends.
The parents of the victims were particularly disappointed with the outcome of the case. The Brocks blamed Gregory's actions that costed the life of their son, Joshua.
In their view, the accused ought to have known the life-threatening effect of supplying the deadly drug to his peers but still went ahead to do it.
Tackling MDMA Use
The place of MDMA abuse in modern society can only be tackled by focusing real efforts in targeting teenage drug abuse.
This stems from a host of findings made by existing studies that correlate adolescent drug abuse with high addiction rates in adults.
In principle, the habits of a majority of drug addicts can be traced back to their first encounter with drugs like MDMA at an early age.
In the demographic sense, accidental and intentional drug-associated deaths are considered to amount to a majority of preventable causes of mortality within the 15 to 24-year-old age bracket.
Reilly's family expressed their profound grief while shedding light on the realities of a society brought to its knees by drugs.
The family echoed the rather worrying statistics about the current spate of deaths among 15 to 20-year-olds which are directly linked to drug abuse.
The victim's family appealed for the increase of public education about the consequences of MDMA use among teens.
In their view, they affirmed to the fact that their son would have been alive if he had been thoroughly sensitized about the effects of consuming MDMA.
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.
