Three men in Nanaimo face drug trafficking charges in connection with a cryptocurrency-funded dark web drug trafficking ring operated from a residence in the city.
In 2019, the RCMP Federal Serious and Organized Crime Unit in BC launched an online undercover investigation into a vendor on the dark web called AlwaysOverweight.
The dealers used cryptocurrency and encrypted messaging applications to anonymously peddle a large variety of drugs including meth, cocaine, fentanyl, and other narcotics.
The investigators were able to penetrate the digital barriers and identify a Nanaimo address as the location.
The three men are scheduled to appear in court at the Nanaimo Provincial Courthouse on June 7th.
The RCMP says the dark web is just one of the tools organized crime uses to avoid detection, forcing police to continuously evolve their technical capabilities to stem the flow of toxic drugs.
