Legal Issues

Drug-Trafficking Tattoo Shop Owner Sentenced to Prison

Drug-Trafficking Tattoo Shop Owner Sentenced to Prison

A tattoo shop owner who conspired to traffic drugs on the dark web is going to prison for over seven years after a federal investigation. 

Jason Keith Arnold, of Chandler, Arizona, will face seven years and three months in a penitentiary after conspiring to distribute heroin and methamphetamine on Dream Marketplace. 

For those unfamiliar with the term "dark web," it refers to websites that are only accessible via sophisticated encryption technology. They are not indexable by standard search engines like Google and Bing. 

As a result, the dark web is a bastion of illegal activity, including sex trafficking, drug sales, and even, in some cases, murder plots

According to an official release from the IRS, Arnold, specifically, worked with two co-conspirators -- David White and Alicia McCoy -- to conduct "thousands of transactions for illegal drugs, including "pure gun powder heroin" and "uncut" methamphetamine."

Over the time that their accounts, "TheSickness" and "SicknessVersion2," existed, the trio grossed more than $350,000. 

In February 2022, White was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison on various counts. Charges against McCoy are currently pending, and the IRS reminds Americans that she is considered innocent until proven guilty. 

The case was jointly investigated by the Northern California Illicit Digital Economy (NCIDE) Task Force, including agents IRS Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

What do you think about this dark web drug trafficking case?

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Rebekah Barton

Rebekah Barton

Rebekah's search engine optimization career began completely by accident as a college student. Over the course of her career so far, she has "grown up" with the SEO industry, from writing content while juggling classes to managing her own teams of writers and overseeing SEO strategy in subsequent roles. She is excited to bring her passion for high-quality content to CountingWorks, Inc.

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