With a deep understanding of the complexities of the Dark Web, Harper curates informative and thought-provoking content for our readers. Her knowledge of the hidden corners of the internet and cybersecurity helps shed light on the often mysterious and illicit activities that take place in this realm.
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The suspects are accused by the Koblenz Public Prosecutor’s Office of engaging in the distribution of hundreds of kilograms of narcotics, including 740 kilograms of amphetamine, 19 kilograms of MDMA, and 7 kilograms of methamphetamine, and earning more than 950, 000 euros.
From at least November 2019 to December 2021, the suspects supplied the narcotics to satisfy over 9,107 orders submitted through seller accounts on over 13 dark web marketplaces. After learning about the vendor through the seizure of DarkMarket, the Oldenburg Central Criminal Inspectorate launched an inquiry into the suspects’ drug trafficking enterprise in January 2021.
The Investigation
The detectives were originally led to a post office in Cologne. They allegedly discovered that the operator and a post office employee were both participating in the drug trafficking enterprise. They are accused of accepting narcotic parcels presented to the post office after hours and mailing them to their purchasers.
Investigators suspect the post office was used to send narcotic packages weighing more than 1000 kg to customers all around the world. The detectives subsequently recognized five individuals who worked as narcotics couriers. They include two Dutch nationals, aged 58 and 78, who are accused of making courier journeys for the seller’s account operators.
The “intensive investigations” that followed allegedly revealed that the seller’s accounts were handled by two Dutch individuals aged 37 and 42. The pair brought narcotics into Germany from the Netherlands and profitably resold them through supplier accounts. Between January and November 2022, they reportedly smuggled narcotics on more than 43 occasions.
On June 28, 2023, police and prosecutors in Germany and the Netherlands executed search warrants at premises related to the suspects after more than two years of investigation. The searches resulted in the arrests of one of the suspected vendors’ account operators, two suspects at the Cologne post office, and three suspects in the Netherlands.
The searches also yielded 55 liters of amphetamine base, a weapon, and 150,000 euros in cash. The Koblenz District Court ordered the operator of the Cologne post office and his staff in pre-trial imprisonment. As part of the continuing inquiries, the police are still looking for the second operator of the vendor account.