This is the outcome of a vast investigation by cyberinvestigators which aimed to dismantle this network. Two men suspected of having directed and organized drug trafficking on the Darkweb have been arrested in Nantes and Le Mans, we learned on Tuesday from a judicial source.
During the searches at the homes of the two suspects, “432,000 euros in cryptocurrencies, 9,000 euros in cash and 23,000 euros in bank investments” were seized by the investigators, indicated the public prosecutor of Rennes, Philippe Astruc, in a press release.
According to the Rennes prosecutor’s office, this network was led by a 29-year-old man residing in Nantes and “suspected of being the organizer of the traffic”, and a second, aged 24, who “provided the role of logistician” at the Mans.
Ecstasy, MDMA, heroin and cocaine
Arrested on September 20 at their homes, they were prosecuted on the counts of “trafficking in narcotics, possession of prohibited goods without proper supporting documents, customs laundering and laundering of the proceeds of trafficking in narcotics”, and will be tried in Rennes on 14 november. They face 10 years in prison.
While an investigation had been opened in September 2020 by the Cybercustoms unit of the National Directorate of Intelligence and Customs Investigations (DNRED), investigations had made it possible to designate a pseudonym, “DrugSource”, as the sponsor of this network.
“More than 3,000 sales of narcotics on the dark web between September 2020 and October 2021” were attributed to this sponsor who offered ecstasy, MDMA, heroin and cocaine. According to Philippe Astruc, “the profits generated by DrugSource within the framework of its illicit activities could exceed 1.5 million euros”.
The imprisoned sponsor
According to the prosecutor, this network could be dismantled after “two years of investigations combining traditional and digital investigation techniques”. During the searches, more than 450,000 euros in property and securities, including “432,000 euros in cryptocurrencies” were seized by investigators from the Service d’Enquêtes Judiciaires des Finances (SEJF) and the command of the Gendarmerie in Cyberspace (ComCyberGend ).
“The searches and the hearings confirmed their involvement in the traffic”, underlined the magistrate. Presented to the public prosecutor of Rennes on Friday, they were the subject of a deferred appearance procedure.
The alleged sponsor, already convicted in 2020 for scams committed on the web, was placed in pre-trial detention. The logistician, unknown to justice, was placed under judicial control, specifies the prosecutor.