Imprisonment Demanded For Dutch Vendor Group

The Public Prosecutor (OM) requested an eight-year prison sentence for three men and a woman, from North Holland, for running a large-scale online drug trafficking ring on the dark web.

According to official court documents, the vendor group was active between 2012 and 2014. They dealt with “all kinds of hard drugs” offered in both small and bulk quantities. The four suspects used nicknames on dark net marketplaces, including “Holland Online Silkroad2”, “Amsterdam United”, “TheHeineken”, and “Albert Heijn”. In addition to that, the court heard that the vendor group produced their own ecstasy.

Law enforcement authorities stated that the vendor shop was a “huge international character” on dark net markets. During the house search of one of the suspects, police seized 420,000 euros of cash, which they believe that were “pure profits” originating from the illegal narcotics trade.

According to police information, the defendants sent the narcotics in packages internationally using the postal service. The international logo of the World Health Organization (WHO) appeared on all envelopes, authorities claim.

Law enforcement authorities arrested the suspects as part of an international cooperation in 2014, which “led to bring down hundreds of websites on the dark web”. Unfortunately, due to the lack of information, we do not know the exact time and place of the arrests.

The defendants made so many profits in their narcotics operation that they could afford a luxurious lifestyle. They went to distant holidays, bought expensive cars, and had an almost endless stream of luxury goods, court documents say.

The trial continues this week, while the court’s verdict is expected two weeks later.

Earlier this month, similarly to the current case, a 37-year-old from Groningen, the Netherlands, was standing in court for narcotics trafficking on the dark net. The Public Prosecutor (OM) demanded a fifteen months (five suspended) sentence for the suspect, who sold drugs on the infamous Silk Road Marketplace.

According to the OM, the 37-year-old used his own room in a residential building on the Oude Boteringestraat in Groningen as his base of operations. Authorities claim that the defendant sold hard drugs on Silk Road. The prosecution considers the case as a “modern sale” of narcotics since the suspect allegedly advertised the drugs on a dark net market. The prosecution also added that there is a difference between online and street deals since the defendant was “not disturbed by junkies”.

Police caught the trail of the 37-year-old after they received several anonymous reports. Law enforcement authorities raided the alleged vendor’s house, where they found different kinds of hard drugs. Prosecutors claim the seized amount is too much for the defendant’s own use.

The suspect denied all charges against him. However, he admitted that he was active on the dark web.

“I was fascinated by what was happening there. I jogged a little,” the 37-year-old said.

Mathieu van Linde, defending the 37-year-old, said that there are suspicions, although, there is no solid evidence to support these. The verdict in the case is expected soon.