Posted by: Anonymous December 10, 2018 in Featured, News Updates 1 Comment

A dark web drug and weapons dealer from a notorious drug village in Gedern, Giessen, nicknamed the ‘Drug Mecca,’ has been presented before Gießen District Court to face trial. The suspect is accused of buying amphetamines, ecstasy pills, and firearms on the dark web which he resold to his customers in the village.

The 26-year-old defendant from the Wetterraukreis district is said to be connected to a drug cartel operating in the villages in the region. He was linked to the notorious and convicted village following a lengthy dark web investigation by a German Special Drug Task Force who had been tracking his operations online and offline.

The seizure

In November 2016, the investigating police conducted a search at the defendant’s house after obtaining a search warrant; they were surprised at the numerous illegal items and products they found. “In the two rooms of his family’s house were several knives, weapons, and drugs,” reported the investigating detective who led the search. “We even took longer in the search that we had projected as we documented almost everything in the two rooms since we did not expect to find all those dangerous and illegal items and substances in such a house.”

The officers seized more than 73 ecstasy pills, over 400 grams of amphetamines packed in smaller packets labeled as ‘speed’, numerous knives, brass knuckles, stun guns, air rifles, alarm pistols, two mobile phones, a tablet, and 1500 euros in cash hidden in a console. Strange items such as a Hitler portrait, cookies in swastika shapes, and a Reichskriegsflagge were also confiscated.

Dark web investigations

Through an investigation on the dark web, an anonymous section of the internet only accessible through special software, according to filed court records, the defendant was found to be a loyal customer to a Leipzig-based drug kingpin who conducted his businesses on a dark web marketplace named ‘Shiny Flakes.’ On this online platform, the defendant had placed numerous illegal orders including for guns and over 300 grams of amphetamines.

According to the prosecutor, the two mobile phones and tablet seized at the defendant’s house have helped much in terms of electronic evidence. He also highlighted that numerous statements by the defendant during police interrogations had helped significantly. The defendant admitted to consuming, possessing, and trafficking more drugs than those found in his house during the raid.

Presiding the case, the judge at Gießen District Court referred to the village as a “drug mecca,” wondering why and how such a small village in the district had become that active in substance abuse and trafficking. “The illegal drug situation in this area is wanting. In my view, this is a convicted inhabitant. I have numerous drug cases with me here in court and am also aware of several other different drug investigations which are underway. In a separate incident, more than 200 kilos of cannabis and several kilograms of amphetamines have been seized from the same village,” said the judge, “All these coming from such a small village are a clear indication that all is not well.”

The defendant, according to his defense lawyer, has admitted to his charges and is bargaining to have a lenient sentence, saying he had cooperated throughout the investigation and even volunteered information which could lead to more convictions in the future. In his filed statements, the dark web usernames on different online platforms and communication channels he gave will help the police identify the major drug criminals supplying drugs in the district. The court proceedings will resume on Friday.