International Dark Web Drug Network Involving U.S. Virgin Islands Dismantled

In a significant development, the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Friday the guilty plea of an Indian national in a sprawling drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracy. This complex network, which cleverly utilized the dark web to obscure its operations, had links extending to the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The individual at the center of this conspiracy is 40-year-old Banmeet Singh, apprehended in London in 2019. U.S. federal officials disclosed that Singh masterminded eight distribution cells across the United States for over four and a half years. These cells were integral in receiving, repackaging, and redistributing drug shipments from abroad. The network’s reach spanned all 50 states of the U.S., including the U.S. Virgin Islands, and extended internationally to Jamaica, Canada, England, Ireland, and Scotland. Singh was extradited to the United States in 2023 to stand trial.

DEA officials have identified fentanyl as one of the key illegal substances trafficked by Singh’s operation.

Singh confessed to establishing vendor profiles on several notorious dark web marketplaces, such as Silk Road, Alpha Bay, and Hansa. These platforms were used to sell controlled substances in exchange for cryptocurrency, with subsequent order fulfillment involving U.S. mail and other delivery services.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole Argentieri, representing the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, remarked on the misguided belief among traffickers that the dark web offers anonymity and protection from law enforcement. Singh’s admission of guilt dispels this myth and underscores the Justice Department’s resolve to pursue and prosecute those who flout U.S. laws, regardless of their methods of concealment.

Over the duration of his criminal activities, Mr. Singh reportedly accumulated in excess of $150 million, which he converted into cryptocurrency. As part of his plea agreement, he is obliged to surrender these funds.

Currently, Mr. Singh is awaiting sentencing, with an agreed upon term of eight years in prison. The date for the formal sentencing has yet to be scheduled.