Three Nanaimo men have been charged with running a “dark web” drug-trafficking ring funded by cryptocurrency.
An undercover online investigation into the operation, dubbed “AlwaysOverweight,” was begun in early 2019 by the B.C. RCMP Federal Serious and Organized Crime-Cybercrime Operations Group.
The RCMP describes the dark web as a “hidden” area of the internet, accessed through browsers that conceal users’ footprints, making it almost impossible to find out who they are.
The RCMP said the suspects used cryptocurrency and encrypted messages to traffic anonymously in a wide variety of drugs, including methamphetamine, oxycodone, cocaine, MDMA, Xanax and what was advertised as heroin but turned out to be deadlier fentanyl, mixed with cutting agents.
The investigative team managed to get through digital barriers set up by the suspects and identify a Nanaimo address as their physical location.
As the online probe began to include street-level deals, police were able to identify three suspects.
Kien Trung Pham, Kerry Chang and Gordon Brooks were arrested on Feb. 4 and search warrants were executed at two Nanaimo residences. Drugs, packaging material, envelopes, documents, cash, computers and data-storage devices were seized.
Pham has been charged with 11 counts of trafficking a controlled substance and four counts of possession of a controlled substance for the purpose of trafficking.
Brooks has been charged with seven counts of trafficking a controlled substance and seven counts of possession of a controlled substance, and Chang has been charged with one count of trafficking a controlled substance under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
All three are scheduled for a June 7 appearance in Nanaimo provincial court.
“This is a great example of our ability to quickly adapt and adjust our investigative techniques to meet the rapidly evolving and dynamic world of cybercrime,” said Supt. Richard Bergevin, officer in charge of B.C. RCMP Federal Policing — Major Projects.
“The dark web is just one of the tools that organized crime uses to avoid detection, and so police need to continuously evolve their technical capabilities to stem the flow of toxic drugs into our communities.”
