A man who is reported to have sold $17million worth of illicit drugs over the dark web has been sent to prison on a 14-year term with a non-parole condition of 10 years.
Cody Ward, the 27-year-old defendant, pleaded guilty in 2020 on court charges concerning the illegal activity of importing large quantities of controlled substances via Australia Post disguised as confectionery.
The operation that led to Ward’s arrest was considered by Australian authorities as the “first and biggest penetration of the dark web” in the country.
The man was apprehended at his Callala Beach residence on the New South Wales south coast in early 2019. During the arrest, law enforcement agents confiscated commercial amounts of drugs. Apart from MDMA, the man was found in possession of 2.5kg of cocaine, amphetamine, 100,000 LSD tablets, Xanax that was disguised as lollies.
In addition, the police allegedly found $80,000 in cash, computers, and money counting machines.
Ward was also arrested alongside other accomplices, including his two siblings Patricia Koullias and Shanese – both aged 20 and 24 respectively.
Shanese, Ward’s co-accused who was sentenced earlier on in the year, was handed an eight-year prison sentence that included the condition of a four-year period without the possibility of parole.
Patricia, the younger sibling, was sentenced to three years in prison in December 2019, and was subjected to the condition of a 22-month period of no parole.
An Unexpected Motive
Ward’s lawyer admitted that his client ran a low-tech drug operation that involve the purchase of fake identification documents and a shipment address.
According to law enforcement accounts, the defendant’s arrest led officers to leran about the man’s assets. He owned a $70,000 pre-owned Mercedes Benz vehicle, a $7,000 Maserati and a Mitsubishi Evo that was purchased for $15,000.
The defendant’s sentencing at the Downing Center District Court took an interesting turn when Judge Robyn Tupman established that the man did not deal drugs for financial gain. Instead, Ward is reported to have committed the drug crimes for the sheer online “acceptance and notoriety” that the business would accord him.
Profits from the drug business happened to be a secondary benefit to the man who valued the “sense of community” that the online ecosystem provided. The judge learnt that the desire to seek validation online was an outcome of social anxiety, which was pegged on the man’s past history of being a victim of bullying in school.
The judge noted that Ward had become a drug addict, and had proceeded to create an alter-ego of a cybercriminal. The man’s actions reflected the thoughts and behavior of an individual who had little regard for the moral consequences of his illicit drug business.
In defending Ward’s actions, the suspect’s lawyer told the judge that his client was not a “drug lord” and petitioned the court to pay attention to the man’s young age and the lack of a past criminal record.
In addition, Ward’s lawyer asked the judge to consider the possibility of rehabilitation for his client who had stayed off drugs in detention. The lawyer went on to claim that the defendant had embarked on a path of personal redemption.
The Prosecution Differs
The prosecution team asserted their argument against the defendant, maintaining that Ward’s sudden change in character should not be discounted when prescribing the right sentence. The prosecutor also challenged the defense’s statement that their client did not engage in the drug business for money.
According to their account, the defendant’s social isolation did not provide enough ground to warrant the man’s actions. Although it served as an entry point, the primary motivation to commit the drug crime was monetary.
A man who is reported to have sold $17million worth of illicit drugs over the dark web has been sent to prison on a 14-year term with a non-parole condition of 10 years.
Cody Ward, the 27-year-old defendant, pleaded guilty in 2020 on court charges concerning the illegal activity of importing large quantities of controlled substances via Australia Post disguised as confectionery.
The operation that led to Ward’s arrest was considered by Australian authorities as the “first and biggest penetration of the dark web” in the country.
The man was apprehended at his Callala Beach residence on the New South Wales south coast in early 2019. During the arrest, law enforcement agents confiscated commercial amounts of drugs. Apart from MDMA, the man was found in possession of 2.5kg of cocaine, amphetamine, 100,000 LSD tablets, Xanax that was disguised as lollies.
In addition, the police allegedly found $80,000 in cash, computers, and money counting machines.
Ward was also arrested alongside other accomplices, including his two siblings Patricia Koullias and Shanese – both aged 20 and 24 respectively.
Shanese, Ward’s co-accused who was sentenced earlier on in the year, was handed an eight-year prison sentence that included the condition of a four-year period without the possibility of parole.
Patricia, the younger sibling, was sentenced to three years in prison in December 2019, and was subjected to the condition of a 22-month period of no parole.
An Unexpected Motive
Ward’s lawyer admitted that his client ran a low-tech drug operation that involve the purchase of fake identification documents and a shipment address.
According to law enforcement accounts, the defendant’s arrest led officers to leran about the man’s assets. He owned a $70,000 pre-owned Mercedes Benz vehicle, a $7,000 Maserati and a Mitsubishi Evo that was purchased for $15,000.
The defendant’s sentencing at the Downing Center District Court took an interesting turn when Judge Robyn Tupman established that the man did not deal drugs for financial gain. Instead, Ward is reported to have committed the drug crimes for the sheer online “acceptance and notoriety” that the business would accord him.
Profits from the drug business happened to be a secondary benefit to the man who valued the “sense of community” that the online ecosystem provided. The judge learnt that the desire to seek validation online was an outcome of social anxiety, which was pegged on the man’s past history of being a victim of bullying in school.
The judge noted that Ward had become a drug addict, and had proceeded to create an alter-ego of a cybercriminal. The man’s actions reflected the thoughts and behavior of an individual who had little regard for the moral consequences of his illicit drug business.
In defending Ward’s actions, the suspect’s lawyer told the judge that his client was not a “drug lord” and petitioned the court to pay attention to the man’s young age and the lack of a past criminal record.
In addition, Ward’s lawyer asked the judge to consider the possibility of rehabilitation for his client who had stayed off drugs in detention. The lawyer went on to claim that the defendant had embarked on a path of personal redemption.
The Prosecution Differs
The prosecution team asserted their argument against the defendant, maintaining that Ward’s sudden change in character should not be discounted when prescribing the right sentence. The prosecutor also challenged the defense’s statement that their client did not engage in the drug business for money.
According to their account, the defendant’s social isolation did not provide enough ground to warrant the man’s actions. Although it served as an entry point, the primary motivation to commit the drug crime was monetary.
