Another major deep web vendor was busted roughly a week ago. According to government officials, this person is the largest vendor trafficking drugs on underground marketplaces. This is yet another example of why using traditional shipping methods is destroying the illusion of conducting anonymous business on the Internet.
SWEDISH DEEP WEB VENDOR GETS ARRESTED
News about this arrest last week, as a Swedish newspaper mentioned a significant deep web drug bust in the country. A package had been seized by customs, and allegedly contained a large quantity of drugs. A police investigation showed how several packages were sent to multiple addresses located in Gothenburg.
Interestingly enough, some of these addresses had non-existing recipients, which allowed the deep web vendor to pick them up. After setting up a sting operation, police officials identified a 42-year old man. During his arrest, this deep web vendor was carrying nearly US$20k in cash, a handgun, and minor quantities of drugs.
The entire operation was run out of a warehouse outside of Gothenburg, leading to an arrest of a 25-year old man. At the warehouse premises, law enforcement officials discovered computers, drugs, and an automatic weapon. Further investigation uncovered both individuals were responsible for selling close to US$1m in drugs on the deep web.
As it turns out, customers of these deep web vendors could be found all over the world. However, no package recipients will be prosecuted for the time being, as that would warrant additional investigations. It is possible the majority of customers were located in Sweden, though.
This particular deep web seller, who goes by the name of Erkran,was active on various marketplaces. Among the platforms he frequented were Evolution, Nucleus, Agora, and Flugsvamp. Even using Bitcoin – assuming that was an accepted payment method – could not help the sellers remain anonymous.
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