A California-based couple recently pleaded guilty to distributing drugs on the dark web in exchange for Bitcoin (BTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and other cryptocurrencies.

Guilty Plea

A statement issued by the US Department of Justice showed that 32-year-old Jabari Monson filed a guilty plea to conspiring to disseminate controlled substances. His partner, 39-year-old Saudia Monson, pleaded guilty to utilizing the internet or mail to send out controlled substances.

Court documents also showed that the couple, who are both from Merced, California, operated several dark web vendor accounts from July 2018 to January 2019. The Monsons reportedly sold cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamine, and cocaine base on Dream Market, the dark web marketplace, through their accounts “Best Buy Meds,” “House of Dank,” and “Trap Mart.”

The defendants are set to be sentenced on Nov. 19 by US District Judge John A. Mendez. Jabari Monson is facing a required minimum of five years and a maximum penalty of 40 years imprisonment, plus a fine of $5 million. Meanwhile, Saudia Monson might face a five-year imprisonment and a penalty of $250,000.

The defendants will also surrender all the cryptocurrency they accumulated from distributing drugs as part of their plea bargain.

The Monson’s case resulted from an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations, and the US Postal Inspection Service.

Not The First Case

The Monson’s is just the latest of drugs for cryptocurrency cases that law enforcement officials have stopped. Florida resident Richard Castro recently pleaded guilty for being part of a Bitcoin-powered drug dealing and money laundering conspiracy. In April, two men were caught offering controlled substances for crypto payments.

