Dark Web Drug Lord Pleads Guilty: Extradited Indian National Forfeits $150 Million in Cryptocurrency

Dark Web Drug Lord Pleads Guilty: Extradited Indian National Forfeits $150 Million in Cryptocurrency

VoM News Desk | January 29, 2024 | 07:52 PM IST | Breaking News, Crime | Follow on Google News

Dark Web Drug Lord Pleads Guilty: Extradited Indian National Forfeits $150 Million in Cryptocurrency

Dark Web Drug Lord Pleads Guilty: Extradited Indian National Forfeits $150 Million in Cryptocurrency

In a significant development, a 40-year-old Indian national, Banmeet Singh, extradited from the UK, has pleaded guilty to orchestrating a global dark web enterprise. Operating from Haldwani in Uttarakhand, Singh’s operation involved the sale of “deadly and dangerous drugs to communities across America.” As part of the plea agreement, Singh has agreed to forfeit approximately $150 million in cryptocurrency.

Global Dark Web Enterprise: Selling Controlled Substances Across Continents

Banmeet Singh, according to court documents, established vendor marketing sites on dark web marketplaces to peddle controlled substances such as fentanyl, LSD, ecstasy, Xanax, Ketamine, and Tramadol. Customers utilized cryptocurrency to order these substances, which were then shipped by Singh personally or through arranged shipments from Europe to America via US mail and other shipping services.

Justice Prevails: Extradition, Guilty Plea, and Forfeiture of Cryptocurrency

The US Department of Justice emphasized that Singh controlled at least eight distribution cells within the US between mid-2012 and July 2017. These cells, located across various states, received drug shipments from overseas, repackaged them, and distributed the drugs nationwide and internationally. The Justice Department, determined to hold criminals accountable, successfully extradited Singh in 2023.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M Argentieri stated, “Today’s guilty plea, which includes forfeiture of approximately USD 150 million in cryptocurrency, demonstrates that the Justice Department will hold criminals who violate US law accountable no matter how they conceal their activity.” Singh faces an agreed-upon eight-year prison sentence for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to commit money laundering, with the sentencing date yet to be determined by a federal district court judge.

VoM News Desk

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