Two Netherlanders have been arrested for selling drugs on the darkweb — they said they were forced to do so because of debts in the underworld

Thursday 31st of January 2018 saw the first trial hearing for two men, 32-year-old Guillermo F. and 50-year-old Boy De W., accused of selling hard narcotics on the now-defunct darkweb Hansa Market since 2016. They are represented by defense attornies Nancy Dekens and her colleague Maarten Pijnenburg.

The two men were arrested in Amsterdam in March 2018. More so, other two accomplices were also apprehended in the same month in Werkendam, southern Netherlands: 48-year-old Michael O. and a 36-year-old woman found hiding in a shed.

Michael O. had four 3D printers in his warehouse near his home which were used to packaging LSD, MDMA, and cocaine. The narcotics were then hidden in multiple objects such as Nintendo games or ink cartridges, and sent via postal service. Also on Thursday, the court decided to release Michael O. under parole because of his confession and minimal role in the organization.

As for Guillermo F. and Boy De W., the trial has just begun. Thursday’s hearing session was an introductory sitting in a case that will be dealt with in substance in May 2019.

According to the defense lawyers, the usurer men who were threatening the group were two individuals of Israeli origin. They had lent a large amount of money to F. and De W. to set up a streaming service which failed. To repay their debt, the men were offered positions as darknet drug dealers.

Guillermo F. made his confession more than a week ago. The Boy De W. did it a day before, on Wednesday. The Public Prosecution Service (OM) are accusing them of international drug trafficking. The Prosecution has found a digital administration containing thousands of names and addresses of darknet drug buyers at home and abroad. The two defendants deny having been involved in the sale of the narcotics since 2016. They state that they have only sold drugs since mid-2017.

Furthermore, the fact that they were forced into selling drugs might act as a mitigating factor which can lower their prison terms. More so, if they are found guilty of drug trafficking without other aggravating circumstances, the duo might be facing from one to three years of incarceration. It’s unlikely that they’ll receive a suspended sentence because almost all types of powder-like drugs are deemed public health hazard by European Criminal Law.

Court of Breda District