A Us citizen has been charged with heroin and methamphetamine distribution in substitution for Bitcoin (BTC).

According to a January. 3 press release published past the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern Commune of New York, Joanna De Alba allegedly promoted and sold illegal narcotics on a dark web marketplace dubbed the "Wall Street Market," between June 2022 and May 2022.

The official release notes:

"Defendant Joanna De Alba, a U.S. citizen, will exist arraigned this afternoon in federal courtroom in Brooklyn on an indictment charging her with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute heroin and methamphetamine, and distribution of heroin and methamphetamine via the "'dark web.'"

To ensure purported anonymity, De Alba asked customers to contact her through encrypted messengers and pay with BTC.

An undercover operation

Every bit part of the investigation, an hugger-mugger agent purchased 30 grams of heroin and ten grams of methamphetamine allegedly from De Alba, and paid for the drugs with Bitcoin, as requested.

Sometime subsequently, the agent received a bundle allegedly shipped past the defendant, which contained heroin and methamphetamine, according to a dedicated assay.

If De Alba is convicted on all accounts, she volition be sentenced for five years of imprisonment and a maximum sentence of up to 100 years in prison.

In search of anonymity

Criminals indeed actively apply the dark web seeking anonymity, which presents police enforcement with meaning challenges, every bit users with malintent are able to achieve a greater level of anonymity by using cryptocurrencies.

A November written report from recall tank The Rand Corporation singled out Bitcoin, Litecoin (LTC), and Monero (XMR) as the virtually used cryptocurrencies on the darknet.

However, an analysis of Bitcoin transactions can also help constabulary enforcement agencies locate cybercriminals. Thus, in mid-October, U.S. authorities shut down one of the largest-to-appointment child sexual exploitation market called Welcome to Video.

To place the criminals, the investigators used tools adult past analytic company Chainalysis, which helped to track the BTC wallets, used by the criminals to receive payments from customers.

Equally Cointelegraph reported last month, Russia'southward largest darknet marketplace Hydra revealed that it is looking to raise $146 one thousand thousand in a token offering that would allow it to go global.