A 40-year-old Indian citizen, Banmeet Singh from Haldwani, has been handed a five-year prison in the United States in term for trafficking controlled substances on dark web platforms and has also been ordered to forfeit around $150 million.
As reported by PTI, Singh was arrested in London in April 2019 at the request of the US.
He was later extradited to the US in March 2023. In January, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
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According to the court records and statements presented during court proceedings, Banmeet established vendor marketing platforms on various dark web marketplaces like Silk Road, Alpha Bay, Hansa, and similar platforms. Through these channels, he engaged in the sale of controlled substances, which included fentanyl, LSD, ecstasy, Xanax, ketamine, and tramadol.
Singh’s customers used cryptocurrency to purchase drugs from him through the vendor sites he operated.
Meanwhile, Singh either personally shipped the drugs from Europe to the United States or arranged for their shipment through US mail or other shipping services.
From 2012 through July 2017, Singh controlled at least eight distribution cells within the US, including cells located in Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Maryland, New York, North Dakota, and Washington, among other locations.
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“Individuals in these distribution cells received drug shipments and then re-packaged and re-shipped the drugs to locations in all 50 states, Canada, England, Ireland, Jamaica, Scotland, and the US Virgin Islands,” the Department of Justice said on Friday.
“Over the course of the conspiracy, the Singh drug organisation moved hundreds of kilograms of controlled substances throughout the United States and established a multimillion-dollar drug enterprise that laundered millions of dollars of drug proceeds into cryptocurrency accounts, which ultimately became worth approximately USD150 million,” an official release said.
(With inputs from PTI)
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Published: 20 Apr 2024, 09:28 AM IST
