An active drug dealer arrested on the Dark Webwas convicted by judicial authorities and ordered to forfeit $4 million in Bitcoin.
According to the US Department of Justice (DoJ), Richard Castro, also known by several other aliases, including “Chemsusa”, “Chems_usa” and “Jagger109”, used the Dark Web, which is only accessible through Tor, from 2015 to 2019, to sell specific types of drugs.
Castro, who lives in Florida, United States, trafficked synthetic opioids and certain other substances such as carfentanil and fentanyl, all of which are powerful sedatives and painkillers.
Carfentanyl is so potent that the substance is considered lethal and is officially only used to sedate large animals such as elephants. Fentanyl is prescribed for severe, chronic pain, while there is also phenyl fentanyl, which is a more potent derivative of fentanyl.
Prosecutors say Castro and his partner traded drugs on Dream Market, AlphaBay and other marketplaces. Castro himself admitted to completing thousands of transactions and receiving positive reviews from customers.
Last year, Castro decided to move his business off the Dark Web and told customers that purchases could now be made via encrypted email – but a down payment was required to sign up.
A police officer paid the advance Castro requested and placed a number of orders. Castro's associate, Luis Fernandez, sent the drugs to the officer, which ultimately led to his arrest.
Castro's clients paid in Bitcoin (BTC) and these proceeds were stored in seven cryptocurrency. The trader laundered the money, buying valuable assets and keeping a huge amount of banknotes in Zimbabwe.
Castro pleaded guilty and was sentenced to forfeiture of $4 million in Bitcoin.
Under US law, Castro faces a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence for drug distribution, as well as a prison sentence of up to 20 years for laundering .
His sentencing is scheduled for October 25, 2019.
