In the last year, there have been dozens of arrests directly related to darknet fentanyl dealers. According to a recent press release by the Department of Justice (DOJ) they plan to double down on their search for fentanyl dealers across the United States.
DOJ Press Release
On November 21, 2022, a unit of federal authorities held a press conference in Los Angeles. Their primary topic was related to the “widespread damage caused by fentanyl.” Although the conference did not primarily focus on darknet markets selling the opioid, they noted that it was one of the many ways in which dealers distribute such drugs.
According to the report, the federal authorities believe that “the extremely dangerous synthetic opioid that has contaminated nearly every corner of the illicit drug market and is killing Americans at an unprecedented level.”
The fentanyl epidemic is a crisis that demands our full attention. This poison is targeting our young people, causing untold damage to families, neighborhoods, and our entire nation. We are fighting back. We have dramatically ramped up our efforts to stem the flow of narcotics, to vigorously prosecute those directly responsible for peddling this poison, and to respond in innovative ways to improve public safety and educate the public.
U.S. Attorney Estrada said.
Their focus on attacking the fentanyl opioid is purely due to death spikes. In 2022 alone, more than 75,000 Americans overdosed and died from the drug. It’s really easy to get lost in the numbers, but taking it back to the realization that each death actually represents a life creates a picture of how serious it really is. Especially considering that a vast majority of the deaths or for people aged between 18-45. A short-lived life.
In response, the DOJ has set up the Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement Team (J-CODE)
Fentanyl: a synthetic opioid that’s 50x stronger than alternative opioids such as heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. The strength of the opioid makes it the most dangerous opioid and causes the most overdoses in the U.S.
As a result, the majority of Darknet Markets do not support the sale of fentanyl, but some do.
Fentanyl comes in two forms: Pharmaceutical and illicitly manufactured fentanyl. Both are considered synthetic opioids.
Darknet Fentanyl Cases to Consider
For once, it seems the DOJ is putting its money where its mouth is. Instead of running simple campaigns like their “one pill can kill” organization, they’re looking at the route issue and tackling it from the ground up. This means fighting back against the various cartels in the US and cracking down on some of the biggest dealers.
Narco710
Over the last few months, some of the biggest fentanyl distributors across the darknet have gone silent. Such is the case with California fentanyl kingpin Christopher “Narco710” Hampton. Hampton was one of the most popular darknet vendors, with atleast shops across 9 darknet markets and selling more than $2 million in narcotics on Tor2Door and Archetyp alone. On November 2nd, the FBI cracked the case and captured Hampton along with atleast 450 pounds of illegal narcotics and over 20,000 multi-colored pills containing fentanyl.
After Hampton’s arrest, Dread admin “Hugbunter” announced to the public that
After being seemingly MIA for around a month, with no responses/login activity on Dread, including no respond to my messages. It has been announced Narco710 was arrested on November 2nd and that he is alleged to have “obtained bulk fentanyl.” All buyers should clean the house and expect a knock on the door. There is nothing right now that I can see which confirms his data is compromised. However, it is best to consider this as a possibility. Even if they don’t have access now, they still may in the near future.
Hugbunter, Dread Forum Admin
Dylan Holcomb
Other examples include Dylan Hunter Holcomb, a 28-year-old that sold Fentanyl across the darknet as well. Holcomb was captured after the USPS tracked packages back to him. Holcomb now faces 20 years in prison.
Task Forces
In the last year, the J-CODE team claims to have captured and arrested atleast 300 drug traffickers, seized almost 800 KGs of narcotics, and gathered over $42,000,000 during their operations, proving themselves an effective task force.
Another example would be the DEA who claimed they seized “massive amounts of fentanyl” in 2022. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) claims to have seized over 10.2 million pills and over 980 points of fentanyl powder. That only accounts for the month’s May – September.
Darknet Markets and Fentanyl
Although most see the Darknet as the wild west, the people who run marketplaces are often quite civilized. For years darknet market admins who care about their customers have controlled what is and what isn’t allowed for sale. Fentanyl is quite a popular drug that multiple darknet markets prohibit.
We disallow any sale of fentanyl or its analogs and related chemicals, including carfentanyl or products containing fentanyl or carfentanyl. Any vendor found to be selling products containing fentanyl or carfentanyl under a different name to circumvent this rule will be promptly banned.
Incognito Market Rules
There are multiple darknet markets that do allow for fentanyl sales. However, it’s frowned upon by most admins, and darknet users tend to agree. The drug is far too dangerous.
The only darknet markets that do allow the sale of fentanyl are the same ones that allow the sale of weapons, doxxing, and similar.