Oak Ridge National Laboratory operated by the United States Department of Energy has issued a press release announcing the resumption of Plutonium-238 production in the United States (archived). Since the United States ceased production in the late 1980's they have filled their appetite for the isotope through foreign purchases supplemented by their dwindling stockpile. The increasingly frosty relationships between the United States and developed countries that maintained Plutionium-238 production capability has forced the United States into independently producing the material again at great cost. Plutonium-238 is used as a radio thermal power source in medical and space related applications. The ongoing decline of relations between the United States and the developed world is likely to continue injuring the ability of the United States government to participate in international markets.
Category Archives: Darkmarkets
CMU Tor Attack Implicated In Mannion Arrest
In one of the more bizarre stories arising out of Operation Onymous and the Silk Road 2 takedown, Neil Mannion who was initially arrested back in November 2014, released, had news of his arrest retracted, was rearrested, and was now sentenced to six and a half years in prison has recently been fingered as a victim (archived) of Carnegie Mellon University's attack on the Tor network. The hazards of using the Tor Network for safety critical communications have been addressed previously on Qntra.
Silk Road Fallout Updates
This week United States Secret Service operative Shaun Bridges was sentenced to 71 months in prison for his theft from the Silk Road, the exact amount sought by the prosecution. Back in October more interesting Silk Road thief Carl Mark Force IV received 78 months in prison while prosecutors requested he received 87. Meanwhile last week the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation managed to have a Canadian citizen arrested in Thailand for consulting on the design of a website which happened to be used as a drug marketplace by others. The arrest of a Canadian in Thailand is consistent with the severe clinical depersonalization revealed by the United States Government's consistent pattern of having foreign nationals in still other foreign countries arrested with the aim of prosecuting them in the United States.
US DoD Extracts Guilty Pleas From Mom and Pop Competitors
The US Navy operating under the larger umbrella of the United States Department of Defense managed to extract guilty pleas from a husband and wife accused of marketing heroin on a United States warship (archived). The couple's marketing of heroin of course makes them competitors to the organized heroin operations occurring in the United States Department of Defense whose activity has lead to heroin overtaking many other drugs of abuse over the course of the United State's adventure in Afghanistan (archived).
Operation Cyber Juice: Police and Their Favorite Drug of Abuse, Part 1
Back in September the Drug Enforcement Agency announced an action dubbed "Operation Cyber Juice" involving the bust of a handful of underground labs compounding imported raw anabolic steroid materials into oral and injectable preparations suitable for end users. Also busted were a number of distributors including persons dealing steroids at a LA Fitness club Franchise and at a Juice bar (archived). At least as interesting though, not very surprising is the number of underground labs and clearnet internet vendors who were not busted despite publicly declaring a presence in the United States. Continue reading
78 Months in Prison for Carl Mark Force IV
In today's sentencing Carl Mark Force IV received a bit of leniency over the 87 months imprisonment recommended by the prosecution. The judge simply flipped the digits relieving him with a sentence of only 78 months.
Carl Mark Force IV To Be Sentenced Monday, Prosecutors Request 87 Months Imprisonment
Insubordinate United States Government Drug Enforcement Agent Carl Mark Force IV will be sentenced at a hearing on Monday. Reports are that Prosecutors are only requesting a sentence of 7 years and 3 months of imprisonment for Force IV who committed crimes against the United States Government as opposed to Ulbricht's life sentence for simply seeking the freedom to act outside of the United States Government. Force IV announced his intention to plea guilty back in June.
Darknet Firearms Seller Pleads Guilty
According to WOOD News in Central Michigan, the local United States prosecutor's office managed to hook allege darknet firearms dealer Ben Cance into entering a guilty plea on charges related to international firearms trafficking and money laundering (archived). Prosecutors secured Cance's plea and his cooperation in other investigations by dropping charges of "machine gun possession" against Cance. The Judge allowed Cance's release on bond to continue so he could continue collaborating with prosecutors and inform on his past customers some of which are alleged to be in the United Kingdom and Poland. The 30 year old Cance is set to be sentenced by Judge Robert Holmes Bell on January 15th in the Grand Rapids United States District Court.
USMS Schedules Final Silk Road Auction
The United States Marshals Service has announced its final Silk Road auction to sell 44,341 Bitcoins. The Auction will be held November 5th. The Bitcoins will be sold in 21 lots of 2,000 with a 22nd lot of 2,341 Bitcoin. Per the Marshals service this is the last planned sale of Bitcoins criminally seized from Ross Ulbricht by Preet Bharara and his co-conspirators. The full details of the sale along with a calendar of sale milestones is reproduced below: Continue reading
Guilty Plea After Package Tracking Breaks Opsec in Darkmarket Drug Case
Harold Bates of Massachusetts plead guilty to drug charges relating to the importation of a half kilogram of methylone from China. Bates was implicated in the case when his residential IP address was discovered to have checked the tracking number on the USPS web portal of a package seized by postal inspectors containing the prohibited drug product. The package was intercepted in Hollywood, Florida. Bates faces three methylone related charges carrying a potential 20 years of prison each along with a separate charge for possessing a prohibited item as an inmate of a prison which carries an additional potential for 10 further years in prison. The three methylone related charges are conspiracy to import, importation, and possession with intent to distribute. Overseeing the case is Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts Patti B. Saris who is also the Commissioner and Chair of the United States Sentencing Commission. Bates is scheduled to be sentenced on December 10th in Boston.