A US man who sold narcotics on the dark web in exchange for Bitcoin has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.
Tyler Reeves, who sold the drugs under the moniker “Platinum45,” was sentenced on Monday by by United States District Judge James V. Selna.
Aside from the prison sentence, Reeves, who pleaded guilty to distributing methamphetamines and money laundering in March, will also have to pay a $15,000 fine.
“On September 20, 2018, law enforcement executed a search warrant at defendant’s residence. At his residence, [Reeves] possessed not only illegal controlled substances, such as methamphetamines and oxycodone (prescribed to defendant), but he also possessed 13 un-serialized firearms, and 14 un-serialized silencers, which are used to suppress the sound of a gunshot,” prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum.
“Defendant purchased the parts for these firearms online and manufactured these silencers and firearms. In addition to the drugs and firearms, defendant possessed extensive computing equipment, a Trezor hardware wallet (used for storing cryptocurrency), and gold and silver bars,” they added.
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Reeves illegally sold narcotics from mid-2017 until September 2018. He used the now-defunct dark web marketplace known as Wall Street Market operated by three German nationals who currently face charges in the United States and Germany.
One of the top five vendors on Wall Street Market, Reeves served almost 300 customers, which included undercover law enforcement officers, who made six purchases from Platinum45, including one transaction in which Reeves shipped two ounces of methamphetamines in exchange for $2,230 in virtual currency.
Reeves is not the first dark web drug dealer to receive a prison sentence, and I’m safely guessing he won’t be the last.
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