A 15-year-old student in Victoria, London was arrested for drug trafficking and purchasing a fairly large amount of acid tablets in the dark web. According to trusted sources including The Age and Daily Mail, the middle school student along with several friends purchased $695 worth of drugs in the dark web with Bitcoin.
Various reports revealed that the student named Jamie, whose full name cannot be revealed for legal reasons, and two of his friends saved $695 to purchase Bitcoin. After they used a cryptocurrency exchange to purchase the digital currency, the three middle school students accessed the dark web and requested 100 acid tablets for delivery.
One problem for both investigators and delivery service providers is that almost every operation in the dark web is processed anonymously. The name of the seller within the dark web remains undisclosed throughout the process and by providing different delivery locations, even children can order drugs through the dark web and have them delivered to addresses different to their home addresses.
It is even more difficult to track online identities and disclose aliases in the dark web. This specific case for instance attracted the interests of local law enforcement agencies after many students in the class of the 15-year-old suspect fell ill during a field trip. The investigation revealed that the 15-year-old student and his two friends distributed illicit acid tablets to their classmates during the field trip, realizing that they obtained more than they actually needed.
The student also admitted to local police that he and his friends did distribute drugs to their classmates but not for financial gain or a specific purpose. “We didn’t buy the drugs to make a profit. We wanted to try it but then we had too much. We gave it away to our mates,” the student said.
Jamie’s parents were interviewed by local police and media after the incident played out and Jamie was arrested. The student’s mom stated that she was in complete shock and did know about Jamie’s involvement in the dark web and his usage of the platform to order illicit drugs. She emphasized that the family had no prior information in regard to Jamie’s usage of drugs and his ties with drug distributors in the dark web.
Ultimately, Jamie was expelled from the school and the school’s principal commented:
“I do hope that [Jamie] is able to resist any further temptation in the future and that he sticks solely to non-poisonous passions. He is a young man of superior intellect and I trust he will achieve to his full potential as an adult. Our students and parents are well aware of the strong stance that the school takes when it comes to anything to do with illegal drugs.”
The UK and many European countries under the European Union are focusing on the crackdown of dark web criminals and drug traffickers, primarily to free young children and students from the illicit drug distribution market. Previously, DeepReporters reported many incidents in which young students like Jamie were arrested for purchasing drugs in the dark web. One of the incidents that occurred in May in the UK led to nationwide mainstream media coverage and evolved into an international scandal after a 14-year-old student used the dark web to purchase deadly drugs including ecstasy and committed suicide as a result.
American law enforcement agencies such the National Cyber Crime Unit and the Drug Enforcement Agency also announced a few months back that they will focus on preventing young adults from accessing the dark web and using the platform to easily purchase illicit drugs.
“Even the most basic forms of cyber crime can have huge impacts and the NCA and police will arrest and prosecute offenders, which can be devastating to their future. That means there is great value in reaching young people before they ever become involved in cyber crime, when their skills can still be a force for good,” Richard Jones, Head of the National Cyber Crime Unit’s Prevent team, said at the time.