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Tommy Spaulding from Chicago, receives almost a decade imprisonment sentence for operating two dark web drug stores.
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Spaulding distributed more than seven kilograms of heroin and over a kilogram of cocaine in two years.
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Four other Chicago residents also face charges in the same case, including Lauren Lucansky who received seven years, and Michael Bentley who got five and a half years.
The US authorities have sentenced a 42-year-old man from Chicago, Tommy Spaulding, to nine years in federal prison for selling illegal drugs on the dark web.
Spaulding agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy and drug trafficking charges in July last year. United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Andrew Boutros, announced the sentence on Monday.
Spaulding operated two dark web vendor stores under the names AVALANCHE and ETHER_MART. He used a unique packaging style for each store to help customers distinguish between them. The stores sold a variety of dangerous drugs to buyers across the country.
Spaulding managed all the finances for both operations, including distributing money to other people who helped purchase the drugs and assisting with the daily operation of the stores.
The Drugs and the Scale of the Operation
Spaulding used his AVALANCHE store to sell heroin, crack cocaine, powder cocaine, and MDMA. His second store, ETHER_MART, focused exclusively on selling heroin.
The two stores operated side by side on dark web marketplaces, and each store’s unique packaging helped build customer recognition and trust.
The prosecutors presented some proof that Spaulding sold huge amounts of drugs in 2018/2019. According to the evidence, Spaulding distributed to his customers over 7 kilograms of heroin and 1 kilogram of cocaine. All of these drugs reflect thousands of individual doses the defendant sold across cities in the US.
Assistant United States Attorney Erin Kelly argued in the government’s sentencing memorandum that the organization and structure of the vendor stores maximized the quantity of narcotics the defendants could distribute. Kelly stated that the stores were very successful.
She added that all it took was a few clicks for customers to place orders. The defendants counted on the simplicity, ease, and temptation of the online market to maximize their illegal sales and drug profits.
The dark web allows vendors to hide their real identities behind encryption and anonymous payment systems. Buyers can browse drug listings like they would browse products on any legitimate e-commerce site. This ease of access has fueled a surge in online drug sales over the past decade.
Four Other Chicago Residents Also Faced Charges
Spaulding did not run his operation alone. Federal prosecutors charged four other individuals from Chicago in connection with the same dark web drug sales investigation. Each person played a specific role in the conspiracy.
Chicago has been the focus of multiple cybercrime incidents. A hacker claims to have breached the Chicago legislative system, exposing thousands of records, highlighting the city’s vulnerability to different types of cyber threats.
Lauren Lucansky, 40 years old, procured the drugs for the vendor stores. She also processed customer orders and mailed the narcotics to buyers. Lucansky later pleaded guilty to a drug conspiracy charge, a judge sentenced her to seven years in federal prison for her role in the operation.
Michael Bentley pleaded guilty to operating a dark web store known as ALLGOLDEVERYTHING. Investigators linked Bentley’s store to the same drug distribution network. A judge sentenced Bentley to five and a half years in federal prison.
Two other defendants await their sentencing hearings. Richard Martinez, 41 years old, fulfilled customer orders for drugs. Nathanel Butterfield, 47 years old, procured the use of a condo in Chicago’s River North neighborhood.
The group used that condo to package drugs before mailing them to customers. Both Martinez and Butterfield pleaded guilty to a drug conspiracy charge; they now wait for a judge to hand down their sentences.
The Northern District of Illinois US Attorney’s Office is continuing to focus on looking into criminal conduct that occurs through dark web drug investigations. In the last few years, federal prosecutors have carried out numerous convictions on similar dark web drug trafficking cases.
The Judge’s Decision and the End of the Road
US District Judge Edmond Chang handed down Spaulding’s sentence on Friday, May 29. The nine-year prison term reflects the seriousness of the drug quantities involved and Spaulding’s leadership role in the conspiracy.
The investigation into the AVALANCHE and ETHER_MART stores started when federal agents identified suspicious packages coming from the Chicago area. Postal inspectors worked with DEA agents to track the packages to the River North condo. Once agents identified the condo, they obtained search warrants and discovered the drug packaging operation.
Spaulding will serve his sentence in a federal prison. Federal sentences do not allow for parole, so Spaulding must serve the vast majority of his nine-year term. Upon release, he will face federal supervised release for several additional years.
The case shows that dark web anonymity has limits. Federal authorities are developing ways to uncover vendors who conceal their true identities using aliases and encryption. Law enforcement agencies have come together as a team in multiple jurisdictions to disrupt online drug markets.
The hope is that the multiple long prison terms will serve as a warning to people wanting to operate an online drug store, as it comes with the same level of seriousness as operating an actual street-level drug store. The federal government will continue pursuing online drug vendors and shutting down their operations one by one.
