A California guy used to be sentenced to greater than 26 years in federal jail for trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine via Nemesis Marketplace, some of the global’s biggest darkish internet marketplaces.
39-year-old Darren Hughes of San Jose used to be convicted on drug trafficking fees in November 2025 and used to be sentenced by means of U.S. District Pass judgement on John F. Kness on Might 26.
In line with courtroom paperwork, Hughes operated a shop that introduced possible shoppers loose samples of methamphetamine on Nemesis Marketplace.
After sending some of the loose meth samples to an undercover legislation enforcement agent who reached out, Hughes additionally offered the agent methamphetamine and fentanyl capsules on 5 separate events in 2023, in trade for cryptocurrency as cost.
On June 28, 2023, the Redwood Town Police Division arrested Hughes in California after arranging some other sale with undercover brokers.
Detectives from the Boulevard Crime Suppression Group additionally discovered roughly 672 grams of methamphetamine and a loaded 9mm “ghost gun” bearing no serial quantity when looking his automobile.
”Criminals promoting poison at the darkish internet ceaselessly act with impunity and brazenness as a result of they mistakenly imagine that they’re past the achieve of federal legislation enforcement. The Chicago U.S. Legal professional’s Administrative center and our legislation enforcement companions will establish, examine, and prosecute drug traffickers without reference to the place they perform—and, despite the fact that they perform at the darkish internet,” mentioned U.S. Legal professional Andrew S. Boutros.
“Drug sellers as soon as trusted boulevard corners; these days, they use the web to succeed in shoppers international. Darkish internet marketplaces might appear nameless, however no platform is past legislation enforcement’s achieve. Darren Hughes used the web to benefit from habit and distribute bad medication,” added IRS-CI SAC Adam Jobes.
The Nemesis Marketplace introduced in 2021 and briefly grew into some of the global’s biggest unlawful on-line markets sooner than being taken down by means of German and American government in March 2024.
At its height, the darkish internet cybercrime market hosted greater than 150,000 person accounts and 1,100 vendor accounts, and processed over 400,000 orders (together with more or less 17,000 for opioids like fentanyl, heroin, and oxycodone, and greater than 55,000 for meth, cocaine, and crack cocaine).
Germany’s Federal Prison Police Administrative center and Frankfurt’s cybercrime unit led the Nemesis Marketplace shutdown on March 20, 2024, seizing infrastructure in Germany and Lithuania and confiscating more or less $100,000 in money.
Investigations had begun in October 2022, involving German, Lithuanian, and American businesses, together with the FBI, DEA, and the IRS Prison Investigation (IRS-CI).
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