Darknet Fake Prescription Drug Vendors To Live Like Gangsters Arrested

Darknet Fake Prescription Drug Vendors Indicted: A gang of shameless criminals who sold phony prescription medications worth more than £20 million on the dark web and boasted on social media about 'living like gangsters' has been imprisoned. Christopher Kirkby, 35, Marc Ward, 36, and Thomas Durden, also 36, sold Xanax and other benzodiazepines before posing with champagne bottles inside posh restaurants and nightclubs.

Kirkby, one of the fake prescription drug vendors on the dark web was photographed with a £1,250 bottle of Crystal Rose on a visit to the five-star Mandarin Oriental in Knightsbridge, west London, in June 2017 - as they spent £1,679 on a night out. Ward also posted a selfie of himself smoking a cigar with the caption, 'Living like a gangster!'

However, the gang's illegal activities were discovered after an investigation by Pfizer Global Security, the company that previously manufactured the drug, and the fake prescription drug vendors of the darkweb were sentenced to more than 20 years in prison at Portsmouth Crown Court.

The gang members boasted about their extravagant lifestyle and shared photos of their pricey evenings out on social media.

Xanax is used to treat anxiety and panic disorders when properly prescribed, however it is frequently misused by individuals seeking its tranquil effects and has been classified by authorities as a "highly dangerous substance" if not administered appropriately. Although it is widely used legally in the United States, it is only available on prescription in the United Kingdom.

Ward, however, went by the alias 'HulkedBenzoBoss' and sold the fake pills on the dark web, where some purchasers became hooked. 

Pfizer Global Security initiated an investigation in June 2016 after a number of test transactions revealed Ward was working behind the Darknet vendors. In early 2017, the matter was turned over to the police.

Ward, being one of the fake prescription drug vendors on the darknet, was involved in at least 22,843 sales of bogus Xanax tablets and other class C narcotics while operating as 'HulkedBenzoBoss’, according to investigators. Ward obtained an estimated £2,157,700 in Bitcoin (BTC) from Darknet marketplaces and put it into three major cryptocurrency wallets.

On June 13, 2017, he was caught as he was leaving his house in Havant, Hampshire.

Ward was arrested on accusations of providing a prohibited substance of class C and money laundering between June 2016 and June 2017. Christopher Kirkby, of Shefford, Bedford, was sentenced to nine years and six months in prison for his involvement in the narcotics ring. 

Durden, of Dartford, Kent, received a six-year and five-month jail sentence for his involvement in the organization of fake prescription drug vendors. A search of his premises showed his involvement in a larger scheme to manufacture counterfeit Xanax.

While Ward was in confinement, the gang began the procedure of closing their 'lab' in a Gravesend, Kent, jail in order to reestablish themselves on the Darknet as AchlysUK.

Charlton Pascal, 30, joined the conspiracy on Kirkby's orders and went to the 'lab' to gather goods from Durden.

On June 20, 2017, a pill press was transported to Shefford, Bedfordshire, and subsequently under the possession of John Turner, 49, in Devon the following month.

Four months later, police raided the homes of Durden, Kirkby, and Pascal, and each of the fake prescription drug vendors was detained on suspicion of being part in the plot.

Durden was detained on suspicion of conspiracy on February 13, 2019, and cryptocurrency worth £1.3 million was taken from him.

Ward, of Portsmouth, was sentenced to five years in prison after admitting to conspiracy to distribute Alprazolam. At a previous court appearance, he also pleaded guilty to a number of other charges, including offering to supply class B and class C drugs, acquiring criminal property, and converting criminal property.

Marc Ward, 36, of Queens Road, Fratton, Portsmouth, was sentenced to five years in prison after admitting to conspiracy to provide the Class C narcotic Alprazolam.

During one of the police raids, a blue barrel containing counterfeit medications was discovered.

Durden and Kirkby both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute Alprazolam and converting criminal property, while Pascal acknowledged obtaining criminal property.

Durden was sentenced to six years and five months in jail in Dartford, Kent. He previously pled guilty to two charges of conspiracy to distribute Alprazolam and one count of transferring criminal property.

Kirkby, of Shefford, Bedford, was sentenced to nine years and six months in prison for the same crimes.

Senior investigative officer of the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU), Detective Superintendent Neil Cripps, stated:

“This organized crime group worked to set up a "business" to act as a cover, producing and supplying counterfeit Xanax and other class C drugs on a commercial scale with a street value in excess of £20m.”

 

“Their actions subsequently had a devastating impact on those who purchased the drugs for casual use and found themselves addicted to what are highly dangerous substances if not prescribed by a medical professional and used correctly. As with all illegal drugs, there is always an inherent danger to those who take them.”

 

“The SEROCU worked closely with Pfizer Global Security on this case to ensure those responsible for these serious offenses were brought before a court to account for their actions.”

 

“Our five-year investigation has subsequently resulted in significant prison sentences for those whose sole aim was to profit from others' misery.”

 

“If you become aware of the supply of drugs in your community, please contact your local police force on the non-emergency number 101. We will continue our work disrupting and tackling serious and organized crime across the communities of the south east.”

Pascal and Turner, the other two fake prescription drug vendors will be sentenced in May at the same court. Authorities are presently conducting a proceeds of crime investigation in order to confiscate some of the gang's wealth.