A MAN WHO CONTROLLED DRUGS FROM THE DARKNET FACES 20 YEARS IMPRISONMENT

 

The US District Court had a busy week, as a lot of interest was generated on the outcome of the trial of Rohan Chopra. It was once again a Darknet related drug case. Rohan Chopra faces criminal counts for the conspiracy to possess MDMA with the intention of distributing them to buyers.

Chopra pleaded guilty to all criminal counts, and he faces 20 years imprisonment according to the Law.

The case as narrated by Patricia Astorga, the Assistant U.S. Attorney, Rohan Chopra ordered the controlled substances from the Darknet and had it delivered to his apartment.

He conspired with the residents of the apartment to keep the controlled substances there. The residents are Joel Jacob and Connor Dempsey. They were at the 365 Campus Drive in Buffalo. According to the assistant U.S. attorney, the suspect was able to sell drugs outside the apartment, in agreement with the residents.

Chopra instructed Jacob who was a partner in crime not to sign for any package. This was to create the impression that they were not expecting the arrival of any package to avoid liability. They had nothing to hide anymore after a search in his apartment by the police led to the seizure of drugs. The police, after the search came out with THC, Xanax, marijuana, LSD, cocaine, and Ketamine. The police also seized bags, empty capsules, a digital scale, drug paraphernalia and one other mail parcel which was delivered to the suspect.

According to a report, Jacob signed for a parcel delivered to him on Aug. 17, 2016. It was then identified that the parcel contained controlled substances. It contained a total of 180 grams of MDMA. The origin of the parcel was Munchen, Germany. The suspect ordered the drugs on the Darknet market and paid for it in Bitcoin, a digital currency which is a key figure in any transaction due to its ability to hide the identity of the buyers and sellers.

The Darknet has played a major role in the Drug distribution in the United States of America. The Darknet has made illegal drug purchase easier. It has hosted a lot of drug dealers all over the world. The use of Bitcoin as a currency across the various Darknet websites has encouraged many people to join. It offers its own way of democracy to its users.

Chopra was smart enough to convince Dempsey and Jacob to claim responsibility for the illegal substances that were seized after the search. Jacob and Dempsey have been arrested as well, and are awaiting their sentence.

Chopra has been handed a $1 million fine and he faces a maximum of 20 years imprisonment.

The success of the investigation is linked to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the United States Postal Inspection Service. They took responsibility from day one and worked through all processes to bring the three suspects under the authority of the law. This is a warning shot to all Darknet traders in the United States of America.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) has also been part of series of Darknet related investigations and the implementation of measures. Together with the drug enforcement administration, they arrested Emil Vladimirov Babadjov of San Francisco last year. He distributed heroin and fentanyl through the Darknet to users.

The US is putting measures in place to stop its citizens from rushing into the Darknet. They have for the past years recorded high drug usage, mostly among the youths. The drug overdose deaths are rising as well.

In an investigation led by reporters into the Darknet to see its operation, a vendor, called “JesusOfRave” had 100% ratings on his profile. This shows that he has successfully delivered a lot of drugs to Darknet buyers. It was through this process that drugs got to the apartment of Rohan Chopra.

“JesusOfRave” had written on his profile that: “Working with UK distributors, importers and producers to source quality, we run a tight ship and aim to get your order out the same or next day. This tight ship also refers to our attitude to your and our privacy. We have been doing this for a long time … been playing with encryption since 0BC and rebelling against the State for just as long.”

Authorities are aware of the operation of the vendors, and they are seeking to arrest as many as they can.