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Subscribe to RSSFederal authorities say they’ve busted a secret online market that sold illegal drugs to some 3,000 customers in 34 countries.
Eight people have been arrested in connection with the operation, known as the "Farmer’s Market," according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles.
The arrests and charges, unsealed on Monday, are the result of a two-year investigation, dubbed "Operation Adam Bomb," into the online sale and distribution of narcotics, according to the indictment. The market allegedly acted as a sort of go-between for suppliers of illegal drugs and customers.
The website operators allegedly received a commission for online sales based on the value of the order for such drugs as LSD, MDMA (ecstasy), fentanyl, mescaline, ketamine, DMT, and high-grade marijuana.
A key feature was that suppliers and customers could supposedly stay anonymous.
The investigation was led by federal drug agents in Los Angeles with assistance from drug agents in Europe and Latin America.
"The drug trafficking organization targeted in Operation Adam Bomb was distributing dangerous and addictive drugs to every corner of the world, and trying to hide their activities through the use of advanced anonymizing on-line technology," DEA agent Briane Grey said in a statement.
Two of the suspects arrested were overseas. They included the alleged leader of the enterprise, Mac Willems, 42, who was arrested at his home in Lelystad, Netherlands, and Michael Evron, 42, a U.S. citizen living in Argentina who was arrested in Bogota, Colombia.
Six were taken into custody in the United States. They were identified as Jonathan Colbeck, 51, of Urbana, Iowa; Brian Colbeck, 47, of Coldwater, Mich.; Ryan Rawls, 31, of Alpharetta, Ga.; Jonathan Dugan, 27, of North Babylon, N.Y.; George Matzek, 20, of Secaucus, N.J.; and Charles Bigras, 37, of Melbourne, Fla.
The 12-count indictment charges all eight with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and money laundering conspiracy. Some of the men also are charged with distributing LSD and taking part in a continuing criminal enterprise.
All could face a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of conspiracy.
According to the indictment, the drug website employed a special network of encrypted connections – called the Tor network -- that masks websites and email connections so they couldn’t be detected.
According to the Tor Project website, the free software and open network helps users defend against surveillance and traffic analysis that "threatens personal freedom and privacy, confidential business activities and relationships."
According to The Associated Press, Tor has its origins in a U.S. Naval Research Laboratory project aimed at protecting government communications.
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and what is is being done about the customers ?????
Don't worry, they'll find other suppliers. Although probably without that one-stop-shopping-by-mail convenience.
Life in prison for NONVIOLENT CRIME!!!!
These guys are likely no threat to anyone and murderers and rapist get out after 2- 5-10-15 years and these guys will likely do more time than that..........
The drug leo military complex is worse than the military complex einseinhower warn us about.
If you are an adult you should be able to do what you want to...........i mean you could drink a gallon of liqour in 3 hours and that is LEGAL!!!!!!!!!
LOL. Did they just Google "online underground drug store" and POOF there's their website. How the hell do these people find these websites??? BTW, yes AMERICA wasted way too much money on this bust! Wtf was the USA thinking???
@!$%# this noise. Legalize this @!$%# already. We just paid probably well over $10 million for this one "bust," and the net gain? No cost-benefit analysis whatsoever.
Why do we keep voting in moron after moron, declaring "drugs are bad, 'mkay?" and we just let them get away with it? Why do people lose their jobs for saying that drug legalization should be a top priority of elected officials? Why do people allow the invasion of privacy because of certain plants or chemicals that only do harm to those that willingly ingest them? Heroin is less harmful to society than alcohol. Marijuana has shown no harm to society. Ecstasy, LSD, cocaine, what is the problem? Why can't we just say, "Do it, and you're responsible for the consequences of your actions. But we won't arrest you for doing it, only for the other stuff?" What's so bad about that?
I know people who have taken many different drugs. Some succumbed, some just tried them. Personally, I haven't done much in that area. But there's absolutely no reason my tax dollars should go towards further police militarization, or towards supporting terrorist drug lords with delusions of grandeur. Legalize these drugs, tax and regulate, and use some of the tax proceeds to fund centers for rehabilitation. It's a strategy that has been proven to work in many other countries in actually lowering drug use rates and helping people get off drugs, rather than forcing them into the underground where they are prey to criminals and susceptible to diseased conditions.
Legalize drugs, now!
I've got an even better idea: open up distribution centers in all the major metropolitan areas and give the illegal drugs away at no charge to all comers. The thrill seekers will be out, because they're no longer illegal. The experimenters can do their experimenting with controlled doses, and the self-destructive idiots can kill themselves off without having to steal my stereo in the process.
Yeah.....look at cigarettes....more kids smoke weed than cigs today WHY????????
B/c the propaganda used against cigarettes has and IS WORKING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It is easier for kids to get weed than beer.......
PERSONAL SELF RESPONSIBILITY AND PROPAGANDA and use tax from regulations to scorn use and or abuse.........
I dont advocate drug use and think it should be SHUNNED but locking up poor folks that sell them FOR FUN and excitement and to look COOL---007---to be the man at the party to get girls and make a bit of cash is NUTTTTSSSSS.
Then they are life long criminals with RECORDS and can never get another job forever........what does that do to their lifelong potential as TAXPAYERS???????????????
not to mention how much we could save from the legal system complex that promotes the war on drugs so they can cover their own asses and expand their budgets on a war they will never win.
I appreciate the South Park reference.. "Drugs are bad, mkay?" And I also think that legalizing this stuff would actually benefit the country.
Pretty sophisticated and entrepreneurial for a bunch of dopers!
Janstince, very valid and reasonable point. Which is why it will never happen. There's too much money involved on both sides of the issue. The suppliers, bribes to all different levels of law enforcement,the middle men, the street level suppliers,D.A.R.E. , local and federal courts, lawyers from both sides, the prison system and the small to large urban areas they help support (suppliers of the prisons needs), local and up to federal politicians corruption and the patronage system at the state to federal level.
Lets not forget, being tough on crime is always a solid position when campaigning for office.
This is true. The whole "tough on crime" mantra is bull@!$%# anyway. We lock up a quarter of our @!$%#ing population. Is that not tough enough? Is that not enough criminals? (Answer: clearly not, as congress people are still running around, amirite?)
But seriously, it is a money game. Too much floating around there. That's why I think we need to appeal for more regulation. It would still provide jobs, the taxes would provide more money than the interdictions (which actually cost rather than provide, but that's not how it goes on the DEA's balance sheet), and less would need to be spent on law enforcement. Smaller government, right? Nope, or so say the conservatives, and Obama (I'm so @!$%#ing pissed at him for his flip on marijuana usage and rights). Smaller government appears to be locking up more people, including kids, for this bull@!$%#.
Let the drugs flow, man. There's no reason for them to be illegal in the first place.
Is the legalization of drugs a Democrat VS Republican issue, or is it just a mixed issue? I hear some Republicans and Democrats say "Legalize it", while other Republicans and Democrats say "Don't legalize it".
It's a money issue, whoever gets a cut from the cartel don't want it legalized.
"Cartel" and "Big Pharm" are interchangeable there.
Legalize and regulate now.
Guarantee dosage and purity of the products.
Bankrupt the cartels and stop the destruction of Mexico.
Make America a free country again.
This country needs a health care system that can handle your ideas, for starters......
There goes my vendor
The war on crime continues. We the people just won another battle.
Horse@!$%#. That is all.
Good bust on the illicit drug trade, but em.....
"Operation Adam Bomb"? Named for...? The last name of the purported ringleader; the lieutenant in charge of the bust operation; the proximitity to a nuclear facility...?? WHO in the hellfire comes up with these lame operational tags, anyhow? They aren't named any better in other countries either - so it must be some sort of 'intelligence-organizational' ...thing.
Who uses an anonymizer designed by the government to hide from the government? D'oh.
When will the powers that be realize prohibition only makes cartels richer and citizens slaves to the state and to the cartels? Hmm, maybe the cartels & the various governments are actually working together to make each other richer? Would they do that?
If they just leglaized pot you would cut down on much of the other drug sales in this country.