LE Agencies in Arizona form a Dark Web Task Force
~2 min read | Published on 2023-06-20, tagged Darkweb-Market, Darkweb-Vendor, Operations using 384 words.
Federal authorities in Arizona announced the formation of a Darknet Marketplace and Digital Currency Crimes (DNMDCC) Task Force, to combat crimes committed through the use of the dark web and cryptocurrencies.
According to the press release by the US Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona, the task force will include investigators from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigations, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Investigators from these agencies have reportedly been partnering in investigations against dark web drug vendors since 2017.
Some of the vendors busted as a result of the investigations include;
The DNMDCC Task Force intends to bring together enhanced resources and will focus on bringing down those who use the darknet and cryptocurrencies in illicit activities such as drug trafficking, money laundering, fraud, and child exploitation.
Agents from the USPIS, IRS-CI, DEA, and HSI will form the task force
According to the press release by the US Attorney's Office for the District of Arizona, the task force will include investigators from the Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigations, and the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Investigators from these agencies have reportedly been partnering in investigations against dark web drug vendors since 2017.
Quote:United States Attorney Gary Restaino
We’ve done great work with our federal partners in the dark web and crypto space. This task force will enable us to continue the great collaboration with USPIS, DEA, IRS-CI and HSI, and I look forward to robust interdiction and prosecution efforts to deter digital crimes.
Some of the vendors busted as a result of the investigations include;
Iceman21
From at least 2015 through 2017, vendor Iceman21 distributed heroin, methamphetamine, and cocaine through multiple dark web marketplaces, including AlphaBay, Hansa, and Dream Market.PillPlugPaul
After making undercover purchases from the PillPlugPaul vendor account on Dark Market, the investigators established that Michael Brian Cummings had been distributing oxycodone pills through the vendor account.
Investigations into the vendor led to the identification and arrest of Silvester Ruelas, Kevin Dean McCoy, Amber Nicole Worrell, and Peggy V. Gomez. The defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and money laundering.
A court sentenced McCoy to 15 years in prison, Ruelas to 20 years in prison, Worrell to 10 years in prison, and Gomez to 5 years in prison.
The fifth defendant in the case, Liliana Sibirian Gomez, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. She was sentenced to two years in prison.
Cummings pleaded guilty to possession with the intent to distribute. He will be sentenced on July 31, 2023.
The DNMDCC Task Force intends to bring together enhanced resources and will focus on bringing down those who use the darknet and cryptocurrencies in illicit activities such as drug trafficking, money laundering, fraud, and child exploitation.
Quote:DEA Special Agent in Charge Cheri Oz
DEA is committed to saving lives. Drug traffickers who are hiding in the darknet will be aggressively targeted and unmasked by this task force.
