Russian gang sentenced for selling drugs on dark web

Sixteen defendants have been handed lengthy prison terms

A court in Moscow Region has sentenced 16 people to various prison terms for their roles in what is believed to be the largest operation to distribute illegal narcotics in Russia.

The outcome of the trial was highlighted on Monday by the regional prosecutors. The ringleader, Stanislav Moiseev, was sentenced to life behind bars, while his 15 accomplices received terms of 8 to 23 years depending on their involvement in the criminal enterprise, the statement said.

The court also ordered the confiscation of their property gained through the drug operation and ordered the defendants to pay fines that total around $189,000. The sentences, which were issued after a jury found the defendants guilty, can be appealed.

Moiseev and his co-conspirators were accused of masterminding a darknet drug marketplace called Hydra, which connected sellers and buyers of narcotics using digital tools to facilitate the transactions and help those involved to avoid the attention of law enforcement.

Russian officials said the marketplace operated from 2015 to 2022 and that it took investigators five years to collect enough evidence to finally bust the ring. Around one ton of drugs was reportedly confiscated in the operation.

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Analysts estimated Hydra to be the largest enterprise of its kind in Russia at its peak, with total transactions growing from $9.3 million in 2016 to almost $1.4 billion in 2020. Hydra’s rise was reportedly enabled by a crackdown on similar darknet marketplaces in Western countries, which eradicated competition.