UK Trio Imprisoned for Distributing Counterfeit Xanax
According to the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU), 36-year-old Marc Ward of Portsmouth, 30-year-old Charlton Pascal of Luton, 36-year-old Thomas Durden of Kent, 35-year-old Christopher Kirkby of Bedford, and 49-year-old John Gordon Turner of Devon participated in the distribution of drugs worth over 20 million pounds on multiple dark web marketplaces through the "HulkedBenzoBoss" and "AchlysUK" vendor profiles.
The defendants started selling drugs through the HulkedBenzoBoss vendor profile in 2014. Pfizer Global Security started investigating the vendor in June 2016. The investigators made multiple purchases from the vendor. The purchases reportedly led to the identification of Ward as the operator of the HulkedBenzoBoss vendor accounts.
Pfizer investigators handed over the investigation to the cops in early 2017. The police arrested Ward on June 13, 2017. Ward's arrest led to the seizure of four blue barrels containing counterfeit Xanax and more evidence of the production and distribution of drugs.
One of the blue barrels
The cops established that Ward had fulfilled more than 22,843 orders. He subsequently withdrew bitcoin worth approximately 2.1 million pounds from various dark web markets to three cryptocurrency wallets.
Shortly after Ward's arrest, the rest of the defendants created the AchlysUK vendor profile and went on with the drug trafficking operation.
AchlysUK explaining taking over from HulkedBenzoBoss
Undercover purchases by Pfizer investigators led to the identification of Pascal as the operator of the AchlysUK vendor accounts.
On October 5, 2017, the police executed search warrants at properties associated with Durden, Kirkby, and Pascal. They seized crypto worth 1.3 million pounds Durden.
The investigators arrested Turner on February 33, 2019.
Each of the five defendants pleaded guilty to conspiring in the distribution of Alprazolam. Ward also pleaded guilty to one count each of acquiring criminal property and converting criminal property and to two counts each of supplying class B and C drugs.
Durden and Kirkby also pleaded guilty to a count each of converting criminal property, while Pascal admitted a count of acquiring criminal property.
The sentencing hearing of Ward, Durden, and Kirkby took place on March 31, 2023. Ward was sentenced to five years in prison, Durden to six years and five months in prison while Kirkby was imprisoned for nine years and six months.
Pascal and Turner's sentencing hearing is scheduled to take place in May.
Comments (8)
Captain Obvious2023-04-05d4606e0d
They were all caught by tracing the crypto they cashed out, this should be obvious. BTC hasn't been anonymous for a long time, the only reason buyers haven't been arrested is due to the sheer volume of arrests that would have to be made doesn't make it logistically possible. I know if I was a vendor in today's time I wouldn't use anything but XMR if I liked my freedom. The captain is back.
??????2023-04-06d09810ce
Figures, a deeper look at the article's media pack shows that a few of the members also flashed their illicit gain via instagram photos. I'll never understand how someone will make money illegally and then go about bragging online. I'm honestly shocked they were able to make as much as they did before being caught.
bigbankhank2023-05-24147fb3c2
they don't understand, use XMR, then don't ever meet someone in person to exchange, back in my day I would have a llc created connected to a bank acc, then I would get my payments in xmr. the exchange for btc using a stolen Russian binance acc, then sell the btc, and deposit it into my llc (shell company) under 10k at a time
Dirk Diggler2023-04-10889186a0
Sounds like the only reason this got to law enforcement was because Pfizer got butthurt over someone else pushing their poison.
drugmaker2023-04-107733add1
So big pharma have their own pinkerton militias to pursue their bar vendors now? I guess privatization was inevitable in one of the last bastions where it was not. Private contractors have even less need to play by the rules than cops do.
??????2023-04-046d89c057
No indictment? The article states multiple times that they were arrested due to pfizer investigations, but I don't see a single thing detailing the process of the investigation that led to an arrest. If they were making that much money, it should be common practice to show the mistakes that led to an arrest in the article.