DA Busts Drug Dealers That Sold Steroids to NFL Star for Bitcoin

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office (DA) released a statement this Wednesday saying that two men have pleaded guilty to drug running charges.

Callaway Crain and Mark Sanchez, both 35, sold steroids and a number of prescription drugs over the dark web. Both will be sentenced in early mid-July and will receive between 2 ½ to 7 ½ years in prison.

According to the statement released by the DA, the two men shipped 10,000 packages across the world between 2013 to 2018.

Mostly taking payments via bitcoin, they were able to rake in approximately $2.8 million from their activities.

After taking payment in cryptocurrency, Sanchez and Crain would shift the cash between different online wallets to obscure its source. They would then sell the digital assets on exchanges and deposit the resulting funds into their bank accounts.

Aside from cryptocurrency, the two men would take Payments

Payments One of the bases of mediums of exchange in the modern world, a payment constitutes the transfer of a legal currency or equivalent from one party in exchange for goods or services to another entity. The payments industry has become a fixture of modern commerce, though the players involved and means of exchange have dramatically shifted over time.In particular, a party making a payment is referred to as a payer, with the payee reflecting the individual or entity receiving the payment. Most commonl One of the bases of mediums of exchange in the modern world, a payment constitutes the transfer of a legal currency or equivalent from one party in exchange for goods or services to another entity. The payments industry has become a fixture of modern commerce, though the players involved and means of exchange have dramatically shifted over time.In particular, a party making a payment is referred to as a payer, with the payee reflecting the individual or entity receiving the payment. Most commonl Read this Term, using fake names, via Western Union.

The drug dealing business partners shipped the raw materials needed to make steroids from China, made the drugs at home and then sold them to customers across the world. On many occasions, they would even print their own brand names for the drugs.

A varied customer base

The DA said that Sanchez and Crain sold their products to customers in all fifty states of the US, as well as in sixteen different countries.

“Their customers,” wrote the DA, “included a college football player, an NFL football player, a professional volleyball player, fitness trainers, police officers, members of the armed services deployed overseas, bodybuilders, drug dealers, doctors, lawyers, and a high school athletic coach.”

This is the second time this month that the Manhattan DA has caught drug dealers operating on the dark web.

Just over a week ago, the office announced that it had busted a drug-dealing operation in which the crooks were taking payments in Cryptocurrencies

Cryptocurrencies By using cryptography, virtual currencies, known as cryptocurrencies, are nearly counterfeit-proof digital currencies that are built on blockchain technology. Comprised of decentralized networks, blockchain technology is not overseen by a central authority.Therefore, cryptocurrencies function in a decentralized nature which theoretically makes them immune to government interference. The term, cryptocurrency derives from the origin of the encryption techniques that are employed to secure the netw By using cryptography, virtual currencies, known as cryptocurrencies, are nearly counterfeit-proof digital currencies that are built on blockchain technology. Comprised of decentralized networks, blockchain technology is not overseen by a central authority.Therefore, cryptocurrencies function in a decentralized nature which theoretically makes them immune to government interference. The term, cryptocurrency derives from the origin of the encryption techniques that are employed to secure the netw Read this Term, putting the funds onto prepaid cards and withdrawing the funds as fiat via ATMs.

“Online drug sellers who do business in New York should take note,” said Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr.

“Whether you’re operating in plain sight or in hidden corners of the dark web, my office has the skills and resources to follow the money, shut down your business, and hold you accountable.”