A California man has been sentenced to greater than 26 years in federal jail for trafficking fentanyl and methamphetamine via Nemesis Market, one of many world’s largest darkish net marketplaces.
Darren Hughes, 39, of San Jose, was convicted of drug trafficking in November 2025 and sentenced by U.S. District Decide John F. Kunes on Could 26.
In accordance with courtroom paperwork, Hughes operated a retailer in Nemesis Market that offered free samples of methamphetamine to potential clients.
After sending one of many free meth samples to an secret agent who contacted him, Hughes bought methamphetamine and fentanyl tablets to the secret agent in 5 separate transactions in 2023 in alternate for cryptocurrency.
On June 28, 2023, Redwood Metropolis Police arrested Hughes in California after arranging one other sale with an secret agent.
Detectives from the Road Crime Suppression Workforce additionally discovered roughly 672 grams of methamphetamine and a loaded 9mm “ghost gun” with no serial quantity after they searched his automobile.
“Criminals who promote poison on the darkish net usually act with impunity as a result of they mistakenly imagine they’re past the attain of federal legislation enforcement. The Chicago U.S. Lawyer’s Workplace and our legislation enforcement companions will establish, examine, and prosecute drug traffickers no matter the place they function, and even when they function on the darknet,” mentioned U.S. Lawyer Andrew S. Boutros.
“Drug sellers as soon as relied on avenue corners, however now they depend on the Web to succeed in clients around the globe. Darkish Internet marketplaces could appear nameless, however no platform is past the attain of legislation enforcement. Darren Hughes used the Web to revenue from his habit and distribute harmful medicine,” added Adam Jobs, IRS-CI SAC.
Nemesis Market was launched in 2021 and shortly grew to change into one of many world’s largest unlawful on-line markets, however was shut down by German and American authorities in March 2024.
At its peak, the darkish net cybercrime market hosted greater than 150,000 person accounts and 1,100 service provider accounts, and processed greater than 400,000 orders (roughly 17,000 for opioids equivalent to fentanyl, heroin, and oxycodone, and greater than 55,000 for meth, cocaine, and crack cocaine).
The German Federal Felony Police Workplace and the Frankfurt Cybercrime Unit led the shutdown of the Nemesis Market on March 20, 2024, seizing infrastructure in Germany and Lithuania and confiscating roughly $100,000 in money.
The investigation started in October 2022 and concerned German, Lithuanian, and American businesses, together with the FBI, DEA, and IRS-Felony Investigation (IRS-CI).
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