Romanian Drug Trafficker Sentenced to Prison in Absentia
Romanian Dentist Sentenced to 6 Years in Prison for Dark Web Drug Trafficking
A Romanian dentist was sentenced to six years in prison for importing and reselling amphetamine, ecstasy, and cannabis he had purchased on the darkweb.
Andrei Minea, a 39-year-old dentist from Tazlău, Neamţ County, Romania, was arrested following an investigation by the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT). The investigation was based on suspicions that Minea was importing drugs after law enforcement had intercepted packages of drugs addressed to the defendant. The sender of the drug packages used hotels and public locations as the return addresses.
During the course of the investigation, investigators established that in each order the defendant purchased 30 to 40 grams of amphetamine, 20 to 30 ecstasy tablets, five LSD stripes, and 10 to 15 grams of hashish or cannabis.
The investigators executed search warrants on Minea’s residence and dental office on July 6, 2018. The investigators found packages containing an unknown white powder, four LSD strips, an electronic weighing scale, and 70 bags with traces of plant matter.
Authorities issued a European arrest warrant after the defendant fled the country
The defendant was subsequently arrested and taken in for questioning. The investigators established that the defendant started purchasing drugs on the darkweb in 2016. They also found out that Minea had placed 34 orders and imported approximately 100 LSD stripes, 1,020 ecstasy tablets, 1,320 grams of amphetamine, and 500 grams of cannabis and hashish in 2 years.
The Neamt Court placed the defendant under pre-trial detention and refused to replace it with house arrest after the defendant appealed the detention. Minea was released on bail on August 31, 2018, by the Bacau Court of Appeal.
The defendant violated the terms of his release and failed to appear before the court when he was summoned. On April 2, 2019, the Bacău Court of Appeal revoked the defendant’s bail and ordered his arrest.
Investigators established that the defendant had disappeared without a trace two weeks before his bail was revoked. A European arrest warrant was issued against the defendant on suspicion that he had fled to Spain.
Minea was on October 12, 2020, sentenced in absentia to 6 years in prison.