Eric Friccero, 29, from Arbuckle, has pled guilty to selling drugs on various darknet markets.
Operating under the name “BudgetBudsExpress,” Friccero was a marijuana vendor, distributing the controlled substances across the United States through the dark web sites. He was arrested on January 31, 2019.
The investigations to unravel His identity included the Northern California Illicit Digital Economy Task Force, which composed of agents from IRS Criminal investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations and Postal and the US Postal Inspection Service.
This task force is based in the Eastern District of California and is aimed at combating darknet and crypto crimes. The investigation by these agencies led to Friccero’s home in Arbuckle where they found marijuana with bitcoin and cash. On Monday 3rd, Eric Friccero pleaded guilty for possessing an illegal substance with intention to distribute it, as announced by US Attorney McGregor Scott.
US District Judge Kimberly Mueller is set to sentence him on August 17. He faces up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $1 million.
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