According to a press release issued by Finnish Customs on August 17, a Customs investigation had “exposed” a large-scale drug trafficking network. The network—or in this case, drug trafficking organization—operated from within Finland. From there, they distributed their products to buyers both in Finland and across the globe. Central to the operation was the darknet marketplace known as “Valhalla” or “Silkkitie.”
The vendors, as described in the Customs report, operated a massive, international, drug trafficking ring. On Valhalla, they sold testosterone, estrogen blockers, erectile dysfunction medication, along with other “doping agents.” The ring imported raw materials from China and Germany and manufactured many of the products they had sold on the aforementioned darknet marketplace.
Customs in Finland revealed very little, likely due to the ongoing status of the investigation. However, assuming the preliminary investigation is complete, Customs had become aware of the traffickers after opening one of the packages of raw materials. The game, at that point, was on. Between August 2016 and March 2017, Customs had seized roughly $420,000 worth of this group’s Valhalla products. That figure was specific to raw material and “doping product” sales.
Based on several pieces of information in the press release, along with real life happenings, some internet users interpreted the press release differently than others. The publication indicates that at some point—significantly earlier than the press release—Customs had arrested or identified all of their suspects. (To certain limitations). They then conducted their pretrial investigation and identified hundreds of Valhalla users. Circumstantially coinciding with floods of complaints about the sites reliability, deposit issues, and ever-increasing “exit scam” reports. This activity ultimately resulted in a removal of the Valhalla listing from the “Top Markets List.”
The ability to have gathered identifying data on hundreds of customers, within a short period of time, also seems unlikely. The number of customers is not odd. But the fact that Customs collected identifying information on 200 or more during the preliminary investigating meant that the group either kept customer records in an easily accessible form, was coerced into handing over passwords and private keys, or one of the three suspects had elevated marketplace privileges. Bundling the first two options, Occam’s razor principles indicate that the elevated privileges option is least accurate.
DeepDotWeb reached out to a Customs representative but is yet to hear back. Another representative spoke with a Finnish news outlet regarding the three suspects, but said nothing in the way of the customer data.
“There are two main suspects that have supplied the substance to the ground, created it and distributed it.; the third person has acquired [the first two suspects] more of this substance; that is why he has become the title of a serious doping offense,” Customs Investigator Vesa Ruotsalainen wrote.”When a substance is acquired or possessed enough, it is considered that it is no longer for own use.”
During a raid, Customs seized—along with 25 liters of testosterone—more than $80,000 and bitcoins in “the main bank account.”
“The Preliminary Examination of Customs has been completed and [the case] has been transferred to the prosecutor for prosecution in the prosecution office of Eastern Finland,” the press release concluded. Also, Valhalla market still exists and appears as functional as it ever has been.
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