A notorious dark web drugs vendor, Banmeet Singh, has recently pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges and has agreed to forfeit a staggering $150 million. This marks the largest single seizure ever made by the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Singh, a 40-year-old individual from Haldwani, India, was involved in selling a variety of controlled substances such as fentanyl, LSD, ecstasy, Xanax, ketamine, and tramadol through vendor sites on different dark web marketplaces. He orchestrated shipments from Europe to various distribution centers in states like Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Maryland, New York, North Dakota, and Washington.
The Department of Justice (DoJ) has revealed that between mid-2012 and July 2017, Singh’s operation received products at these centers and repackaged them for distribution across the US, as well as to the UK, Canada, Ireland, and the US Virgin Islands. It is estimated that he sold hundreds of kilograms of drugs during this period and laundered millions of dollars in proceeds through cryptocurrency accounts.
The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) was brought in to assist with the investigation in 2017. The following year, Singh was designated as a Consolidated Priority Organisational Target (CPOT) by the US Attorney General, underscoring the gravity of his criminal activities.
Surveillance conducted by the NCA revealed that Singh was residing in Coventry, where he had established a pharmaceutical business and lived a relatively modest lifestyle, splitting his time between the UK and India. In April 2019, he was arrested, and searches at his property uncovered cold storage wallets and recovery seeds for his cryptocurrency accounts.
Despite facing extradition to the US, Singh’s legal proceedings were delayed until 2023 after he lodged an appeal with the European Court of Human Rights. He is now the eighth member of the narcotics ring to be convicted of drug trafficking charges in the US, having pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He is set to serve an additional eight years behind bars.
This significant development in the case of Banmeet Singh serves as a stark reminder of the global reach and impact of dark web drug trafficking operations. The collaborative efforts of law enforcement agencies like the DEA and NCA are crucial in dismantling such criminal networks and holding perpetrators accountable for their illicit activities.