A Rancho Cordova, California nurse has been charged by federal authorities with selling illegal narcotics via dark net markets. Allegedly, her username Farmacy41 earned over 200 BTC across three markets. Carrie Alaine Markis made an appearance in federal court in Sacramento, charged with numerous counts of drug dealing.

Farmacy41

Markis reportedly used the handle Farmacy41 across several DarkNetMarkets beginning in 2013. She told customers that her source was people who bought pills from those who had them legally prescribed to them. In total, she allegedly sold almost 9,000 hydrocodone pills, over 2,500 oxycodone, nearly 1,000 methadone pills, 70 morphine tablets and around 70 Fentanyl patches.

When the Silk Road closed down, Farmacy41 moved to Pandora and Alpha Bay. The world of DarkNetMarkets is ever-changing. According to a dark web Reddit-alternative founded in response to the banning of r/DarkNetMarkets, Farmacy41 was well-known in her day.

Everything Markis sold is a controlled substance and could carry a prison sentence for one sale. Due to the digital evidence uncovered by investigators, she could face a life sentence. A commentor on Dreaddit said that she might have changed her name between markets. The likely reason she kept her username was a simple reality: reputation is everything in Dark Net Markets. Users don’t have much else to go on, so they use PGP keys to verify their identity as the same from other markets.

“Farmacy41” was based on the fact that Markis had an above-board business selling Nutrivite vitamins and was 41 at the time.

Possible Connection to Another Case

According to a Justice Department press release from last November, a couple was arrested in Rancho Cordova for selling drugs on the clear web.

Authorities haven’t claimed information from the pair was helpful. Yet, it seems likely the two dealers knew of each other. Authorities may have been searching for the identity of Farmacy41 and connected the final dots with information collected from interrogating Paul Barnes and Tiarra Maureen Jackson.

Officially, the arrest is a result of the 2017 demise of AlphaBay. However, the delay between the end of Alpha Bay and her arrest makes for a case that perhaps it took some further information to acquire a legitimate warrant on Markis.

The Sacramento Bee reports that she was only arrested on charges of distributing of fentanyl and conspiracy to distribute it. Authorities could wait until they’ve interrogated Markis before adding more charges.

Featured image from Warner Bros/The Dark Knight.