Austrian Man Arrested for Buying Drugs on the Darkweb
Authorities in Upper Austria arrested a man suspected of importing drugs purchased through the darkweb.
The Upper Austria State Police Directorate announced in a press release that the Wels criminal police had arrested a 43-year-old man from Wels for allegedly purchasing large quantities of methamphetamine, cocaine, and heroin on the darkweb. The defendant allegedly imported the drugs into Austria.
The Wels criminal police arrested the 43-year-old suspect following an extensive investigation into his activities. During the investigation, the investigators intercepted and seized three packages of drugs addressed to the suspect’s residence. The drug packages allegedly contained a total of approximately 300 grams of cocaine, approximately 550 grams of heroin, and approximately 50 grams of methamphetamine.
The defendant had marijuana plants, cocaine, and heroin in his house.
On June 14, 2021, the investigators executed a search warrant acquired by the Wels public prosecutor’s office at the suspect’s home. The search resulted in the seizure of 25 grams of cocaine, 100 grams of heroin, materials used in the manufacture of drugs, and a handgun.
The officers also seized electronic devices. Forensic analysis carried out on the devices reportedly revealed that the suspect had three cryptocurrency wallets that had transacted six figures (in Euros) worth of cryptocurrency since early January 2020.
The officers also established that the suspect had ordered and received 26 drug packages of drugs since January 2020 from a Dutch darkweb vendor on an undisclosed marketplace. German law enforcement is now investigating the vendor in question.
The 43-year-old was arrested at the end of the search and detained pending trial.