Three men have been jailed in the United Kingdom for running a nationwide Class A drug operation through the dark web, using cryptocurrency and postal services to distribute heroin and crack cocaine, the BBC reported.
According to more information, investigators identified Malcolm Magala, 37, of Oriel Road in Portsmouth, as the individual behind an online persona selling narcotics on multiple dark-web marketplaces since 2020.
The South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (Serocu) said cryptocurrency tracing and parcel tracking were key to unmasking the network.
In July 2022, officers intercepted Magala while he was carrying ÂŁ3,150 worth of cryptocurrency and digital hardware. A search of his home uncovered a pill press and small quantities of tablets.
Magala pleaded guilty in February 2024 to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and acquiring criminal property, receiving 11 years and three months in prison.
His accomplices, Jerome Omard, 44, and Alain Kirunda-Nsiiro, 39, operated from a Post Office branch in Walthamstow, posting drug parcels to customers nationwide.
When officers stopped Omard in July 2022, they found 138 grams of heroin hidden inside a music speaker, along with additional drugs at his home. He pleaded guilty in August 2024 and was sentenced to four years and six months.
Kirunda-Nsiiro, arrested shortly after, denied the charges but was convicted after a two-week trial at Reading Crown Court in August. He received 12 years’ imprisonment for conspiracy to supply heroin and acquiring criminal property.
Detective Inspector Rob Bryant of Serocu told BBC that the case was a “complex operation” and a reminder that criminal activity on the dark web is “detectable.”
He added: “We can and do monitor their behaviour before carrying out arrests and bringing them before the courts.”
It has been noted that the investigation highlights law enforcement’s growing ability to trace cryptocurrency transactions and dismantle dark-web drug networks across the UK.