30 arrested in raid on online drug distribution ring

Police raid drug distribution network's homes; ring produced, sold illegal substances via "Darknet."

By BEN HARTMAN
Man with computer 370 (photo credit: REUTERS/Thomas Peter)
Man with computer 370
(photo credit: REUTERS/Thomas Peter)
The police’s economic crimes unit arrested on Tuesday 30 suspects they say ran an online drug distribution network, producing the illegal substances and selling them via “Darknet,” law enforcement officials announced.
“Darknet” is a general term used to describe file-sharing and other Internet sites where private IP addresses are not used, making it very difficult for users to be traced. Such sites have been used to share child pornography and by criminals in the drug trade as well as by dissident movements that want to prevent their online usage from being tracked by governments.
Police said that over the past few months, they’ve run an undercover investigation against the network, making purchases of drugs online.
Police said the drugs bought online were part of a network that shipped them to a kiosk in Tel Aviv, from where they were distributed around the city and beyond.
Police said that they believe the system may have made use of “bitcoins”, the peer-topeer digital currency. Bitcoins aren’t controlled or regulated by any country or company, and the difficulty in tracing their use has made them popular for online drug purchases and other illicit activities.
On Tuesday, police raided the homes of suspects who they say included those who ran the website and were responsible for the sales and supply side of the drug network.