As a seasoned crypto investor with over a decade of experience under my belt, this news serves as a stark reminder of the double-edged sword that is cryptocurrency. While it offers unprecedented opportunities for innovation and financial freedom, it also attracts unsavory characters who seek to exploit its anonymity for nefarious activities like drug trafficking and money laundering.
A group of six individuals, known as “Loverbois,” have been found guilty for their involvement in laundering cryptocurrencies worth between $15,000 and $50,000. Moreover, they were caught selling approximately 12 kilograms of methamphetamine disguised as Adderall pills.
On October 8, it was reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Ohio that six individuals from Texas were handed prison sentences due to their involvement in running an illicit dark web operation dealing with unlawful drug distribution and money laundering via cryptocurrency.
Court records indicate that the accused individuals were found to have illegally sold approximately 11.98 kilograms of methamphetamine pills and illicitly handled cryptocurrencies worth between $15,000 and $50,000 each month from July 2019 up until December 2020.
As an analyst, I uncovered that this criminal operation frequently utilized the alias “Loverbois,” among multiple others, to facilitate their activities. On a daily basis, they managed approximately twenty transactions.
Hung Ahn Huy Phung, aged 26, who is suspected to be the mastermind behind the Loverbois account, was given the longest sentence of 84 months in prison. Simultaneously, four associates were assigned prison terms varying from 60 to 75 months, while one individual received a five-year probation period.
It’s generally accepted that Phung was the mastermind of their activities since he was responsible for establishing and managing the Loverbois account, accepting orders online and getting pills from two associates. The team manufactured meth to mimic genuine Adderall pills and peddled them through the dark web, shipping them across the nation using the US Postal Service.
One member had the task of packaging pills for shipment and helped move and launder cryptocurrency. The group laundered around $15,000 up to $50,000 per month.
The online drug trafficking group known as Loverbois was discovered and later taken down by officials after they inadvertently mailed pills to undercover police in the Southern District of Ohio during various deals.
In June 2021, a federal grand jury officially charged the defendants, with the final defendant, Kevin Tran, receiving his sentence on September 30.
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2024-10-10 10:46