- The operation was very difficult, because the criminals have almost no contact with the buyers.
- They use apps and crypto wallets to trade.
Shanghai Police arrested a gang of drug dealers who created a huge network throughout the country. The criminals traded in marijuana, LSD and other psychotropic drugs. They encrypted the places of “bookmarks” through a special application. And payment for the goods was accepted through cryptocurrencies.
To figure out the criminals, the police pretended to be buyers. First, they ordered several batches of drugs to lull the gang’s vigilance. And then they figured out several locations of the gang members and came with a search.
Modern technologies significantly complicate the course of the investigation, the police admit. For example, drug dealers have little to no contact with buyers. They send the location of the product through a decentralized application. And payment is accepted on a crypto-wallet.
Moreover, even in electronic correspondence, sellers and buyers use code words. There are conditional terms on the darknet, for example, “brick” – “drug package”, “lion shakes his head” – “ecstasy”, etc.
To catch criminals, the policemen have set up several points where drugs are regularly hidden. Then, through the cameras, they tracked down the couriers delivering the goods. It turned out to be a 360-year-old local resident Zhao and his accomplice Chen. The arrested gave information about the rest of the gang members. At the moment, all of them are detained and awaiting court hearings.