After he was found selling Xanax and ecstasy on the internet, a Brockton man was sentenced to eight year imprisonment and ordered to forfeit 59 Bitcoin worth $2.3million. Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins stressed during the announcement that the government has entered the cyber world, and she insists they will “find you and you will be held accountable.”
Brockton Man Forfeits 59 Bitcoin After a Sting Operation in Norwood
A report stemming from the Boston Herald explains that Massachusetts law enforcement has dealt with a significantly-sized federal forfeiture tied to a “darknet kingpin.” Binh Thanh Le, 25, of Brockton was charged for his Wall Street Market storefront called “Eastsidehigh.” The report notes that Le sold Xanax, ecstasy, and ketamine and he was caught with a large quantity of those drugs, 59 bitcoin, and roughly $114K in cash.
Le was just 22 when Le was captured in June 2019. Massachusetts police seized 10,000 Xanax pills and 44 pounds MDMA. They also seized approximately 15 pounds worth of ketamine anesthesia. Flint McColgan from the Boston Herald explained that Le purchased his BMW M3 for $66.5K, and $42.3K of anesthesia ketamine at settlement.
Rachael Rolleins, U.S. attorney in Massachusetts explained Saturday that Le would be sentenced for eight years. His bitcoins will now be held by law enforcement. “This sentence sends a clear message to Dark Web criminals: the federal government is entering this space. We will find you and you will be held accountable,” Rollins said in a statement. The U.S. attorney added:
One cybercriminal is less hiding behind the scenes thanks to our law enforcement colleagues.
Legos and Molly
Le’s arrest was after the popular Wall Street Market (WSM) darknet team was accused of exit scamming. After Dream Market closed its operations, a large number of Darknet Market users flocked towards WSM. Le was arrested in an operation to seize his BTC at a Norwood hotel.
Le was arrested with two other Brockton men — Steven McCall and Allante Pires. McColgan’s report says that the alleged co-conspiring duo pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. McColgan’s report further noted that darknet members packaged drugs in Lego boxes. The LEGO boxes contained MDMA bags (ecstasy) otherwise known by the name Molly.
Do you have any thoughts about the Brockton resident who was forced to give up 59 Bitcoin for his transactions on the deep-web? Please comment below to let us know your thoughts on this topic.
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