America's Largest Dark Net Fentanyl Distributors Arrested

CLEVELAND — America's most prolific dark net vendors of fentanyl are now in police custody, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced on Wednesday in Cleveland. Two Texans — Matthew and Holly Roberts, both 35 — are accused of pulling the strings for a nationwide drug distribution operation.

“Today’s announcements are a warning to every trafficker, every crooked doctor or pharmacist, and every drug company, every chairman and foreign national and company that puts greed before the lives and health of the American people: this Justice Department will use civil and criminal penalties alike and we will find you, put you in jail, or make you pay," Sessions said during the mid-week press conference.

His department believes, at the time of their arrest, the Roberts were the largest dark net fentanyl vendor in the United States and the fourth most prolific in the world.

For more than seven years, between 2011 and May 12, 2018, the Roberts' allegedly sold fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, LSD, marijuana, Xanax, Oxycodone and other drugs through their dark net presence. Sale of the drugs was handled on the dark net.

Court documents show the duo created and owned several dark net marketplaces, including MH4LIFE, TRAPPEDINTIME, FASTFORWARD, and MRHIGH4LIFE. Those accounts were housed on websites like Dream Market, Silk Road, AlphaBay, Darknet, Heroes League, Nucleaus and more.

The Roberts' MH4Life vendor account on Dream Market had some 2,800 verified transactions and a 4.89 out of 5 rating, as of May 2018. The only items for sale through MH4LIFE were illegal narcotics, the Department of Justice said. To communicate with customers, the Roberts' used private, encrypted software, Virtual Private Networks, and proxies through the TOR network.

The Roberts' also went to great lengths to conceal their operations and identifies, law enforcement officials said. They used used glow bracelets and other mundane items to mask the mailing of narcotics, the DOJ said. Postage was purchased through third parties, using cryptocurrency. Customers used digital currency to pay for products. The digital currency was converted into official fiat currency using digital currency exchangers.

After an extensive investigation by multiple departments, the Roberts were arrested in San Antonio earlier this year. Law enforcement began looking into the Roberts' in Northeast Ohio, so charges against the pair will be filed in the U.S. District Court in Cleveland.

“The mechanics of drug dealing has changed, and law enforcement has changed with it,” U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman said. “These cases demonstrate that those who think they are hiding behind a cloak of anonymity on the dark net will be uncovered and brought to justice for selling the drugs killing our friends and neighbors.”

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Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images