One of the biggest dark web drug trafficking networks was busted by prosecutors.
Almost 10,000 parcels of drugs were sent to customers in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., by a dark web drug dealer ring based in New York City, and $7.2 million was laundered in the process, according to the Manhattan District Attorney.
According to prosecutors, this was one of the biggest dark web drug distribution rings to ever be busted, and its ringleader and four other people have been indicted.
This criminal organisation shipped cocaine, MDMA, ketamine, and other drugs to customers all over the United States. Together, they operated the dark web vendor "FireBunnyUSA" and laundered $7.2 million, including over $3.1 million in proceeds, through cryptocurrency exchanges.
Companions Peng Peng Tang, Bowen Chen, Zixiang Lin, and Postal Service employee Katie Montgomery were named in the indictment, along with alleged ringleader Nan Wu of Queens.
"This alleged scheme was a brazen attempt to use the dark web to conceal a national drug trafficking operation. Even though this activity originated on the dark web, it can still lead to the same dangerous drug-related violence in our neighbourhoods that we see far too often," said District Attorney Bragg in a statement.
"Technology is evolving, but so is our office, and I am grateful to the talented prosecutors, investigators, and analysts who are diligently working on and bringing their leading expertise to this complex case. No matter where illegal drug trafficking and sales originate, we will use every tool at our disposal to dismantle these operations and keep our streets safe."
According to court documents and statements made on the record, FireBunny operated from January 2019 to August 2022. It operated on multiple dark web marketplaces and described itself as an "old vendor with the best in quality, speed of delivery, and stealth."
Nan Wu originally based operations in Flushing, Queens, where more than 10,000 packages were shipped. Shipments went across the country and into Manhattan. Between June 2021 and August 2022, undercover Manhattan D.A. investigators made 11 purchases from FireBunny, including for cocaine, MDMA, and Ketamine, which were shipped to Manhattan.