-
Three men, Lucas Costa, Helio Delfini, and Bruno Teles, made millions from selling high-purity cocaine through a dark web operation referred to as ‘UKWhite’.
-
The operation shipped more than 28 kilos of cocaine globally in 14 months. They were using crypto payments and encrypted communication to conceal their tracks.
-
SWROCU police officers busted their hideouts and seized thousands of pills, 2.5kg of cocaine, an adapted suitcase, and thousands of dollars in cash and crypto.
Some London drug dealers have been put behind bars for running a very large drug business right from their homes. The drug operation earned them millions by distributing cocaine through the dark web to buyers all over the UK and around the world.
Lucas Costa, aged 40, and Bruno Teles, aged 43, received 14 and 12-year jail sentences, respectively, while the third guy, Helio Delfini, awaits sentencing by March.
Briefly About the UKWhite Drug Ring
Costa, who resided in Rotherhithe Street, and Teles, who lived in Dollis Hills ran a drug business under the vendor name UKWhite. The business operated off dark websites and offered everything from small samples to bulk drug orders of 100 grams and more. Investigations showed the operation had moved over 28 kilos of high-purity cocaine within a period of 14 months. This illegal selling of drugs online fetched the duo millions.
According to the officers, these guys knew their stuff; they weren’t just roadside drug dealers. They were familiar with technology and used it to their advantage. So, they list their product on several sketchy marketplaces online, and buyers pay using cryptocurrency.
Also, they communicate using encrypted apps and use private browsers to leave no trace of their activity. For a while, it actually worked until law enforcement discovered them.
Then there’s Helio Delfini, the third man in the group. He’s 43, and also lived on Rotherhithe Street. Back in March last year, he confessed that he took part in the business. Delfini awaits his sentencing, and the hearing comes up in March.
How Investigators Pulled Down the UKWhite Drug Operation
When officers from South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) raided their homes in London in 2021, they found a professional drug packaging operation hiding under everyone’s nose.
Inside the homes were 2.5 kilograms of high-grade cocaine ready for shipment. There were also over 6,000 prescription pills, plus diazepam and other derivatives of benzodiazepine. That wasn’t all–there were also packaging materials, suitcases probably for transporting drugs, £17,440 in case and about £67,000 in crypto.
All these pointed to a well-structured operation using the global postal system to flood the market with drugs.
The Sentencing
Due to the weight of evidence against them, it didn’t take long for a jury at Bristol Crown Court to find Costa and Teles guilty. The jury convicted the duo on two counts of conspiracy to supply cocaine and three counts of possessing class C drugs with intent to supply on Thursday, February 19.
The judge handed down their sentences the very next day. Costa will serve for 14 years in prison, while Teles will serve for 12 years. Delfini has yet to receive his sentence, which is coming up on March 10.
What This Case Means in the Fight Against Online Drug Trafficking
Ross Flay, Detective Inspector at SWROCU, explained how they brought down these drug dealers. Mr. Flay said the men ran a really “sophisticated dark web drug supply network” right from the comfort of their homes in London. They hid behind the anonymity of the technology and exploited worldwide postal systems.
However, these advanced tech alone wasn’t enough to keep them hidden. Flay said his crew went all-in—long hours of forensic work, tracking the digital breadcrumbs, teaming up with agencies overseas, just to shut this group down.
It shows there’s always some digital smudge criminals leave behind. Cops pulled together money trails, evidence from computers, and the normal detective work. In the end? They stacked evidence so strong that the jury couldn’t ignore it.
Costa and Teles’ sentencing is one step in the right direction in putting away bad actors using the internet to distribute harmful substances. They join the ranks of other dark web vendors now behind bars, including the operator of DMSoldiersNDD, sending an unmistakable message that the UK’s digital streets are being patrolled just as aggressively as its physical ones.
