|
 Marc Willems, 45, of the Netherlands pleaded guilty on Tuesday to
the two felony counts and admitted to launching "The Farmer's
Market," which facilitated the sale of drugs like LSD, ecstasy and
marijuana to users in the United States and dozens of other
countries, the Los Angeles U.S. Attorney's Office said.
The online bazaar provided order forms and customer service for
shoppers, guaranteeing delivery in exchange for a commission and
accepting payment through PayPal, Western Union and other means, the
federal grand jury indictment charged.
The secret ring operated through the TOR computer network, which
allows users to communicate anonymously, according to the
indictment. Willems told prosecutors that the online bazaar
processed some $2.5 million worth of orders over its several years
of existence.
 Willems was extradited from the Netherlands to face the charges and
now faces a maximum penalty of life in prison. He is slated to be
sentenced on Dec. 10, prosecutors said.
He was one of eight people arrested and the sixth to plead guilty
following a two-year investigation into the marketplace.
A seventh defendant, Ryan Rawls, 33, of Alpharetta, Georgia, has
agreed to plead guilty on Monday to conspiring to distribute
controlled substances, prosecutors said. An eighth suspect has since
died, prosecutors said, without providing further details.
[to top of second column] |
"The illegal sale of narcotics cannot be cloaked through the use of
the Internet, even when sophisticated technology is used to conceal
the drug trafficking," the acting U.S. Attorney for the Central
District of California, Stephanie Yonekura, said in a statement.
Federal officials dubbed the operation "Adam Bomb" because the
original name of the marketplace was "Adamflowers".
Last month, federal officials brought charges against a Texas man
who was accused of creating a similar online black market named
"Silk Road," where users could buy drugs like heroin, LSD and
methamphetamine as well as other illegal products and services.
(Writing by Curtis Skinner; Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
[© 2014 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2014 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
