Marcus Shapiro, a 21-year-old resident of Marlboro, Vermont, was arrested after a darknet investigation in another state implicated him in a $3,500 drug deal involving Percocet, ecstasy and MDMA.
A suspect from another case in Keene, New Hampshire agreed to help federal agents by supplying information which ultimately led to Shapiro's arrest.
Referenced as "CI-1" in court documents, the Keene man was taken into custody on March 27, when he told Homeland Security Investigations agents that he had been communicating with Shapiro through Snapchat, where they arranged a deal involving ecstasy and MDMA.
Snapchat Drug Deal
On March 28, Shapiro had arranged to buy MDMA via Snapchat from the Keene man for delivery on April 4, according to documents from the U.S. District Court for the District of New Hampshire.
Another Snapchat message was reportedly sent by Shapiro to "CI-1" the day before the April 4 sale. In that message, he allegedly requested around 200/300 mg Percocet pills.
The confidential informant and Shapiro made a deal to transfer 250 ecstasy pills, an ounce of MDMA, and 60 Percocet pills for $3,500 across the river from Brattleboro, at the Shell Station on Route 9 in West Chesterfield.
Shapiro was detained by Keene police following the transfer and cited for possession of a controlled substance.
Charges for possessing a controlled substance with an intent to distribute were filed in federal court.
The Investigation
Homeland Security initiated an investigation after receiving information that the confidential informant was getting packages of controlled substances through the mail in a way that suggested that the substances were being ordered on the dark web.
The informant was reportedly the intended receiver of a few packages inspected by the Postal Service containing MDMA, according to court documents.
On April 27, agents seized electronic devices containing evidence of the use of cryptocurrency and the dark web, after a search warrant for the residences connected with the informant was issued.
The man from Keene was taken into custody where he agreed to help law enforcement to investigate further drug distribution activity.
He was previously convicted for distributing private sexual images and agreed to cooperate in the reduction of his criminal liability associated with this investigation.
