The Finnish publication Yle Uutiset reported last week that a dark net drug ring operating in Finland, worth millions of dollars, was shut down by Finnish authorities.
Three men, with what officials described as exception IT skills; were arrested for running the drug operation, valued over $2.26 million dollars. The men were charged with having brought in over 40,000 pills of ecstasy, 40 kilos of heroin, cocaine, and meth; as well as 30,000 hits of LSD.
Finnish officials said that the men ran the business for two years, starting on Silk Road 2.0. Reports stated that the three Finnish men have been smuggling drugs from Germany, and the Netherlands, and have been hiding them in remote locations outdoors. Finnish Authorities found stashes at various smuggling points, including birdhouses, and other outdoor structures one would normally pass by on a hike, or another sort of outdoor activity.
The men were apprehended when they were stopped crossing the border back into Finland. Finnish customs found over 15 kilos of drugs, worth over $1.23 million dollars. The men were arrested in April, and have been imprisoned since. Finnish authorities have also said that in the two year span the men were in business, they have managed to grab the title of Finland’s largest drug bust in history.
Other than drugs, custom seized the suspects bitcoin as well. An estimated one million Euros worth to be exact.
“The suspects are about 30 years old and native to the southwest region of Finland and the Helsinki metropolitan area. Customs has made the investigation of the case in co-operation with the Netherlands, the US Germany, Latvian authorities, and Europol,” Finnish Customs agents stated.
Customs officials also said that the men had set up shop on Valhalla marketplace, which has been in operation since 2013. Under the screen name “Online Drug Shop”, the men began sending out free hits of LSD to promote themselves. An early version of Valhalla was released, named Silkkitie, or Silkroad.
A statement from the Southwest Finland District Court said that it has until September to consider the full extent of the charges. Due to the ongoing investigation, Finnish Authorities could not release any additional details at this time.
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