"Absolutely, he's a kingpin."
An Indian man who trafficked countless shipments of drugs on the dark web to Ireland has been jailed for five years in the United States.
Originally from Haldwani, Uttarakhand, Banmeet Singh was arrested in London in April 2019 and extradited to the United States in March 2023.
The 40-year-old pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in January 2024.
At the time, Rick Mackenzie, Operations Manager at the National Crime Agency, said:
“Singh’s conviction is the culmination of several years of close cooperation between the NCA and the US Drug Enforcement Administration.
“In addition to securing his arrest and extradition, NCA officers gathered vital evidence showing the extent of Singh’s offending and the lengths he went to in order to conceal the profits he made.
“His guilty plea today is thanks to dedicated work by all partners involved in this case, underscoring the importance of international cooperation to disrupt and bring to justice all those involved in the global supply of drugs.”
It was reported that Singh used dark web marketplaces, such as Silk Road, Alpha Bay, Hansa, and others, to sell controlled substances, including fentanyl, LSD, ecstasy, Xanax, ketamine and tramadol.
In Ireland, customers used cryptocurrency to pay for their purchases.
One instance saw investigators tracking over 4,200 packages spanning over a year to just one customer.
Singh shipped drugs to over 2,500 addresses both national and international.
When investigators raided one property, they recovered 59 kilograms of MDMA, 14 kilograms of ketamine, and other drugs.
Authorities reported that Singh’s operation moved hundreds of kilograms of illegal drugs over several years.
From at least mid-2012 through to July 2017, Singh controlled at least eight distribution cells within the United States.
This included cells located in Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Maryland, New York, North Dakota and Washington, among other locations.
The criminal enterprise generated millions of dollars in profits, which were then laundered through cryptocurrency accounts.
The final value of these laundered funds was estimated to be around £120 million.
In a press release, the Department of Justice said:
“The Singh drug organisation moved hundreds of kilograms of controlled substances throughout the United States.”
Among the evidence found were communications from at least 19 email addresses tied to dark web transactions controlled by Singh.
Chief Deputy Rick Minerd said: “Appropriate to call this guy a kingpin? Absolutely, he’s a kingpin.
“He’s shipping kilo level, and who knows how many lives have been shattered by this.”
According to prosecutors, Singh is one of eight defendants who have been convicted as part of the drug trafficking group.
Loading ...