READING, UK — Three British men have been sentenced to a combined 27 years in prison for operating an extensive crypto-based drug trafficking scheme across the United Kingdom, according to an October 13 statement from the Regional Organized Crime Unit Network.
The defendants — Malcolm Magala, Jerome Omard, and Alain Kirunda-Nsiiro — were sentenced at Reading Crown Court after a major investigation into a dark web drug network that used cryptocurrency for payments.
Detective Inspector Rob Bryant of the South East Regional Organized Crime Unit said the men ran a “complex operation” to distribute Class A drugs, including heroin and crack cocaine, via postal delivery. “Their activities on the dark web are detectable — and we can and do track such crimes,” Bryant added.
Magala sold drugs on the dark web using a fake identity, while Omard and Kirunda-Nsiiro managed packaging and crypto transactions. When Magala was arrested in July 2022, police seized £3,150 ($4,198) in cryptocurrency and related hardware.
Magala and Omard pleaded guilty, receiving four years and 11 years respectively. Kirunda-Nsiiro, who denied the charges but was convicted after trial, received 12 years in prison.
The case highlights how law enforcement continues to track and dismantle crypto-fueled dark web operations across the UK.
