Four Arrested in Italy for Selling Drugs from the Darknet

On September 16, a Carabinieri operation spanning from a province in Venice to the province of Pordenone netted four suspected drug dealers who sourced their products from the darknet. The Carabinieri found—while searching all four suspects—thousands of Euros, several pounds of marijuana, 100 grams of MDMA, 70 grams of methamphetamine, heroin, and evidence of drug distribution.

The arrests fell into place after a single arrest in Cinto Caomaggiore, a province of Venice, Veneto, Italy. The details surrounding the identification of the first dealer remain somewhat vague. Investigators revealed that their investigation had revealed that a 23-year-old man in Cinto Caomaggiore had purchased drugs through the darknet. They added that he had sent the drugs to his home. In alignment with how such operations against suspected drug buyers usually unfold, the Carabinieri then raided the home of the man known only as “RA.”

At his house, they reported finding 100 grams of MDMA that they knew he had ordered from the darknet. This arrest and house search (and any additional factors that remain unknown to the public) started a Domino-like reaction at other suspect’s houses.

In Pordenone, the capital city of the Province of Pordenone in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy, the uniformed officers located the home of a 24-year-old named “FL” who had allegedly taken part in this drug dealing conspiracy. At his house, the Carabinieri found two bags of methamphetamine totaling 70 grams, along with three bags with small quantities of the drug. The three bags were part of what they reported seeing when they walked through his door. The larger bags had been placed in the house’s freezer. They reportedly caught him in the act of cutting the methamphetamine and then preparing the drug for resale.

Also in the Province of Pordenone, but in the municipality of Cordenons, the Carabinieri located the house of another suspect in the drug operation. Two suspects: “DLM,” a 24-year-old and a 19-year-old partner known as “CA” both lived in the Cordenons house. That house search proved fruitful for the Carabinieri; this house yielded three or more pounds of marijuana, heroin, roughly 1,000 euros, and digital scales.

According to the Carabinieri, investigations revealed that three of the four, if not all four, had made darknet drug orders on a routine basis. Each party had ordered drugs on their own, but allegedly coordinated some packages based on economical advantages of certain deals or customer requests.

One suspect was permitted to return home, albeit under strict house arrest conditions. The remaining three are in police custody awaiting their next steps into the legal system.