Police bust darknet drug ring

Authorities have arrested members of a Czech based darknet drug ring.

The National Drug Headquarters working with customs and the Czech Post were able to uncover and break up the illegal operation.

The perpetrators exported kilos of drugs from the Czech Republic monthly around the world via Czech Post.

Darknet markets

To hide their actions from authorities, they operated on the darknet, selling drugs on drug markets, using cryptocurrencies, and encrypted communications.

Police detained the perpetrators behind two operations codenamed Airbus and Komp.

Airbus

In the first case, a group of five people aged 25 to 28 was arrested in the second case, just one an offender. They face prison sentences of eight to 12 years. The police did not rule out the possibility of more arrests.

The group behind Airbus purchased drugs abroad, mainly in Belgium and the Netherlands. They smuggled them into the Czech Republic through private courier companies. Some drugs were sold in the Czech Republic. However, the majority were shipped abroad to the United States, Australia, and Russia.

Czech Airlines

The Airbus team used the pseudonym “Czech airlines” on the darknet markets and has been active since 2015.

The police seized six kilograms of narcotic and psychotropic substances. Including ecstasy, MDMA, ketamine, and cocaine.

Komp

In the second case, code named Komp, one offender of Czech nationality was detained who also sold narcotics and psychotropic substances on the darknet for a long time. He sold high-quality ecstasy, cocaine, amphetamines, MDMA, and cannabis in large quantities, police said.

Director of Czech Post Roman Knap pointed out that the company is responsible for the transport of consignments, but not for the content.

The National Drug Headquarters and the Customs Administration recently launched an international project to identify similar cases in Europe. The purpose is to connect with responsible authorities in key European countries to enable them to cooperate better and faster.