Two drug dealers who reportedly ran a highly profitable drug ring on the dark web have been put behind bars after it emerged that the pair took orders from respective customers using an automated bot.
The two convicts were found guilty by the court and sentenced to a collective 24 years in prison following an elaborate law enforcement operation that weeded out the 29-year-old Jehanzeb Amar and Salahydin Warsame, his accomplice.
It turns out that the drug dealers formed part of an international network of drug dealers who worked across the clock to supply cocaine, ecstasy, and LSD to underground markets across the UK.
According to media reports, Scotland Yard, the world-famous law enforcement agency that’s in charge of policing London’s boroughs, was alerted about the pair’s activities as early as February 2020.
As the court would learn, Scotland Yard’s trail on the men was set after a report was issued from the social media platform “LetsWork” where users came across the advertisement of Class A drugs – drugs like cocaine would be purchased in various quantities using digital currency.
Investigators learnt that the two suspects would sell banned substances using an app that boasted more than 1,000 subscribers. The tech-savvy drug dealers were able to use their knowledge and skills to automate their drug dealing operation.
Reportedly, Amar, a resident of Hounslow, and Warsame from Birmingham are said to have configured an automated bot that would take up orders without the dependence on actual human intervention on all trading activities.
The app was highly functional as it sent out timely updates to customers who were seemingly impatient as a result of the COVID-related supply chain disruptions across the world. Law enforcement agents intimated that the drug dealers used photographs of kilo blocks of cocaine bearing their brand in promoting their products and establishing an online presence.
As a way to assert their trustworthiness as drug dealers on the dark web, law enforcement came across one of their messages in which they were apologizing to customers that were out to shop for small quantities of drugs. The message highlighted that the business was keen on selling drugs in bulk that would be accessible via the bot.
The Investigation
Sometime in mid-2020, British law enforcement flagged down a van belonging to Warsame as he was driving in Birmingham within the vicinity of a post office. A quick search revealed that the man was carrying 61 parcels containing Class A drugs destined for addresses in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
In addition, detectives discovered a sophisticated remote controlled hydraulic hide in his vehicle which, after examination, exposed about one and a half kilos of heroin and cocaine. The law enforcement agents conducted a simultaneous search of a safe house on Coventry Road to catch his accomplice preparing more drug packages.
A swoop of the house led detectives to a bigger cache of drugs and other items, including cocaine, LSD tablets, cutting agents, cellphones, digital wallets, computers, a labelling machine, packaging materials and bags.
Further, the police discovered a total of £32,850 in cash and £71,038 in virtual currency, which was then seized in accordance to provisions of the Proceeds of Crime Act. An additional analysis yielded evidence that about £3.7 million had so far been received by LetsWork via the drug dealers’ crypto accounts – Amar’s personal bank account had received an additional £140,314.
In terms of the final ruling, a decision by the Birmingham Crown Court sent Amar to 13.5 years behind bars on charges of a conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and acquiring illicit property. The accomplice was jailed for 10.5 years.
