A 34-year old British man, Justas Beiksa, who ran a drug business on the dark web has received a 9-year prison sentence.

Beiksa was trading several deadly dugs including furanyl and carfentanil for Bitcoin. Carfentanil is used in medicine as a sedative for elephants and other big animals, hence it shows how powerful these drugs can be for humans.

According to NCA Senior Investigating Officer, Jim Cook, the drugs which Beiksa was selling are highly dangerous. He added that, even just a little amount of fentanyl and its analogues could kill a user. Furthermore, he stated that these drugs are very dangerous for anyone that comes into contact with them.

The culprit showed up in the crosshairs of the National Crime Agency (NCA) in July 2017 after he had created an account on a dark web forum.

After series of investigations, Beiksa was arrested in his home, in September 2019. The police officers seized his packages, drug testing equipment and laptops with active orders. Cook said the 9-year prison sentence reflected Beiksa’s “dangerous and calculated” actions.

Although the crypto industry has gone beyond the days of Silk Road, bitcoin drug deals remain prevalent. In October 2019, an Iraqi man received a 30-year prison sentence in US federal prison for selling fentanyl.