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Infamous 'Farmer's Market' narcotic shop busted
By Catholic Online (NEWS CONSORTIUM)
April 17th, 2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
April 17th, 2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
The notorious online narcotic drugstore "the Farmer's Market" has been
busted in an international raid that has ended with 3,000 arrests in 15
countries. The online service allowed suppliers of drugs, such as LSD,
Ecstasy and Ketamine to sell their wares online anonymously. The ring
accepted various forms of payment, including cash, Western Union and
PayPal transactions, the indictment claims.
It's believed that operations for the drug ring began as far back as March 2006.
According to a statement from the U.S. attorney's office in Los Angeles, the market "provided a controlled substances storefront, order forms, online forums, customer service, and payment methods for the different sources of supply" and charged the suppliers a commission based upon the value of the order.
"For customers, the operators screened all sources of supply and guaranteed delivery of the illegal drugs," the statement said.
The purported ringleader, 42-year-old Marc Willems was arrested this week at his home in Lelystad in the Netherlands, officials said.
Forty-two-year-old Michael Evron, a U.S. citizen living in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was also taken into custody this past weekend in Bogota, Colombia, authorities said.
The six other men were arrested at their homes, including 51-year-old Jonathan Colbeck, of Urbana, Iowa; 47-year-old Brian Colbeck of Coldwater, Mich.; 31-year-old Ryan Rawls of Alpharetta, Ga.; 27-year-old Jonathan Dugan of North Babylon, N.Y.; 20-year-old George Matzek of Secaucus, N.J.; and 37-year-old Charles Bigras of Melbourne, Fla.
The 12-count indictment charges all eight men with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and money laundering conspiracy. Some of the suspects are also charged with distributing LSD and taking part in a continuing criminal enterprise.
All could face a maximum sentence of life in prison if convicted of conspiracy.
Seven other people were arrested on suspicion of drug crimes Monday in the Netherlands, Georgia, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Authorities seized hallucinogenic mushrooms, hashish, LSD, marijuana and Ecstasy, the U.S. attorney's office said.
The investigation led to those arrests, but authorities still were trying to determine their connections to the online marketplace, said Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin S. Rosenberg.
The two-year investigation, dubbed "Operation Adam Bomb, "involved law enforcement agents from several U.S. states and several countries, including Colombia, the Netherlands and Scotland, the U.S. attorney's office said.
© 2012, Catholic Online. Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.