For years they are said to have operated a flourishing cocaine trade on the Darknet: Two men from Monheim are now on trial as alleged drug dealers.
Düsseldorf - A reference from the Federal Criminal Police Office to money laundering brought a flourishing cocaine trade on the Darknet to a standstill and put two men from Monheim behind bars for the time being.
The 32 and 33-year-old defendants are said to be behind the cocaine business, with which, according to the investigators, they made a profit of 2.6 million euros.
At the start of the trial at the Düsseldorf Regional Court, they were silent on the allegations on Tuesday.
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Trial against suspected ATM sprinklers started
As of Monday, two men will have to answer to the Mainz district court because of ATMs that have been blown up.
The 27 and 31-year-old defendants are said to have pried several ATMs with crowbars between June and October of last year, then caused them to explode with a load of explosives using an ignition cable and in ten cases made a total of almost one million euros in booty.
Trial against suspected ATM sprinklers started
A lead investigator said that in addition to the BKA tip, there was also one from Europol about the alleged darknet sellers who called themselves “Cheech and Chong” after a 1970s stoner film series.
In addition, the decryption of the Encrochat crypto chat by French investigators could be the duo's undoing.
"Let's wait and see," said defense attorney Wolf Bonn.
Both Monheimers had been observed for months and their cars, telephones and apartments tapped.
"We found that the accused drove to certain post offices with parcels almost every day," said an investigator.
When the duo was arrested on March 18, investigators came across a large cannabis plantation and nearly 40 firearms.
The 33-year-old is said to have bought the cocaine for 38,000 to 39,000 euros per kilogram in Bremen.
The drugs were then portioned in Monheim and offered on various sales platforms on the Darknet.
The defendants are said to have processed 6,600 orders.
A total of 13 negotiation days are scheduled for the process until shortly before Christmas.
dpa