Former SocialPharma Moderator Sentenced Over Role in Online Drug Operation

A guy from Dudley is going to prison for three years and nine months running customer support for a big dark web drug network.

Investigations showed he began as a customer of the drug market, but later he became a moderator. He handled customer complaints and promoted illegal sales online.

A Customer Who Climbed the Ranks

Connor Pardoe is 30 years old and resides in Bewlay Close in Dudley. For a whole year, Pardoe worked for a criminal network called SocialPharma. He did everything from his computer. And surprisingly, instead of getting paid in cash, the network paid him in drugs.

However, Pardoe didn’t start as an employee though. He was first a customer of the service. But soon he became a moderator. Think of it as a customer service rep for an illegal marketplace.

His job? Respond to complaints about missing drug packages. Answer buyer questions. Kick out users who broke group rules. And promote drug listings on Telegram channels and other online platforms.

Pardoe’s dealings came to light when the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU) led an investigation into the operation known as SocialPharma.

The Court Hearing

Pardoe made a guilty plea against various charges at an earlier hearing in March. He has confirmed that he has committed a crime of conspiring to deliver Class A drugs on three occasions. These were Crack Cocaine, Methamphetamine, and Heroin.

Pardoe has also confessed to a further charge of conspiracy to supply class B drugs, specifically those known as amphetamines.

A Kingston Crown Judge sentenced him on Wednesday 20th of May, where he will serve a total of 3.75 years in prison.

Cybercrime sentences are being handed down globally. A Latvian man received a prison sentence for his involvement in ransomware attacks on major international firms, showing that law enforcement is pursuing cybercriminals across borders.

A Massive Operation Called SocialPharma

So what exactly was SocialPharma? Investigators describe it as a large-scale online drug operation. They sold Class A, B, and C substances. That included counterfeit pharmaceutical tablets. They used Telegram and dark net marketplaces to run their business.

The network started back in 2018. During its run, it received at least £4.3 million in Bitcoin payments. That’s a lot of cryptocurrency.

Pardoe wasn’t the big fish here. Four leading members of SocialPharma, Jordanas Avizienius, Osvaldas Novikovas, Javed Afzal Khan, and Marius Sutrinavicius, faced justice last December. All four of them received a total sentencing of over 47 years.

Why Police Say His Role Mattered

Rob Bryant, Detective Inspector who leads SEROCU’s cyber team, says Pardoe played a crucial role in keeping the criminal enterprise running.

Brant said that by working as the site’s moderator and taking up a customer service role, Pardoe helped to facilitate the supply of harmful and unregulated substances to people across the UK.

The detective also warned about the risks of buying drugs through platforms like SocialPharma. “Customers have no way of knowing exactly what they are buying,” he explained. “These substances can have devastating or even fatal consequences.”

Bryant hopes the sentence sends a clear message. He said any person who supports organised crime groups on the internet will be held accountable, regardless of whether they worked from entirely behind a screen.

Pardoe thought he could hide behind a keyboard. He thought handling complaints and banning users wasn’t a big deal. But the law caught up with him. He went from customer to moderator to inmate.

And his case shows that online crime has real-world consequences. No matter how small your role seems, police are watching. And they will find you.