Eight people were arrested by Austrian authorities as part of an operation into a big time darkweb drug vendor called Rasputin.
According to the Federal Criminal Police Office, investigations started in 2019 when one Darkweb vendor identified as “Rasputin” , sold more than 100kg of different drugs. Rasputin dealt with heroin, cocaine, ecstasy pills and amphetamine. He is said to have made millions in profit from selling drugs on the Darkweb.
Austrian police arrested a total of seven co-conspirators in the investigations. A 44 year old man is suspected of being the leader of controlling the Rasputin accounts on the darkweb markets. The mastermind was arrested in December 2019 along with his “sub-dealers” who distributed Rasputin’s narcotics on his behalf. Investigation started with the arrest of an individual who had amphetamines, cocaine, and marijuana in his possession, the individual provided information to the police that lead them to his contacts located in Burgenland. The trail of evidence lead them to the main suspect accused of controlling the darkweb markets of Rasputin was arrested. The main suspect was arrested with seven co-conspirators.
Hansjörg Bacher, who is a spokesperson for the public prosecutors office in Graz said that the investigation was comprehensive and involved text analysis, physical surveillance, and telephone surveillance.
Co-conspirators are accused of selling Rasputin’s drugs on the darkweb in exchange for cryptocurrency, the police said. Ecstasy, amphetamines, heroin, cocaine, mephedrone, marijuana, crystal meth, and ketamine were seized by the police during searches at the properties owned by the 44 year old man and his “sub-dealers.” Also found were firearm blanks and false identification documents at the house. The main suspect equipped his co-conspirators with firearms for their protection. These firearms included a 9mm Makarov pistol (likely 9×18mm PM) and a Walther CP99 (which is a pellet gun). The 44 year old is alleged to have kept his associates in line with “dangerous threats” and many forms of coercion.
Investigations have ended and the trial has commenced. Charges include drug trafficking charges, weapons trafficking charges, and charges stemming from his use of fake IDs. One of his co-conspirators was sentenced to eight years in prison and and five more will be in court this week. Europol is also involved in the case along with Ireland and Germany involved.
Translated press release for Rasputin’s Darkweb bust.
Operation “Rasputin”
In cooperation with the Federal Criminal Police Office and the city police commanders in Graz and Innsbruck, one of the largest addictive substance dealers in Austria to date could be researched. It is a 44-year-old man who is suspected of having traded around 100 kilograms of addictive substances on the Darknet under the pseudonym “Rasputin”. Police record: eight arrests and numerous seizures of addictive substances, weapons and documents.
Graz crime officers came across a person in the darknet in June 2019 who, under the pseudonym “Rasputin”, dealt in large quantities of addictive substances and substances that are subject to the New Psychoactive Substances Act (NPSG).
Extensive investigations followed and paid off: Criminal officers from the Graz City Police Command (SPK), the SPK Innsbruck and the Office for Combating Addictive Substance Crime in the Federal Criminal Police Office (BK) researched and arrested seven Austrian and one Albanian suspect between the ages of 24 and 30 . The men are suspected of having obtained the illegal substances from “Rasputin” and reselling them or depositing them for other customers. During house searches, large amounts of amphetamines, ecstasy, cocaine, heroin, mephedrone, marijuana, crystal meth, ketamine and codeine were found and found in the suspects. In addition, the officials ensured weapons and blanks for the production of driver’s licenses and inspection stickers, a punching and embossing machine, punch pliers and punching devices.
As part of the further investigation, the detective also found the main suspect under the pseudonym “Rasputin” on the Darknet. This was a 44-year-old Austrian, who is also accused of putting pressure on his customers through serious coercion or dangerous threats to continue the drug trade in his spirit. The 44-year-old was arrested on December 4, 2019 on the basis of criminal investigations and reported to the public prosecutor’s office in Graz for the trade in more than 100 kilograms of all kinds of drugs, arms trafficking and incitement to falsify documents.
Article no: 18008 from Tuesday, July 21, 2020, 12:59 p.m.
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