Darknet Vendor Sentenced To 8 Years, Sold Drugs In Order To Pay Back A Debt

Posted by: Benjamin Vitáris

September 5, 2015

Daniel Andrew Atkinson, 30, an ecstasy vendor on (the old) Silk Road has been jailed for at least eight years. Atkinson has been known as a gambling addict, he used Silk Road for selling Ecstasy in order to pay back his dept that he owed to shady people. According to Atkinson, these people who he owed debt to, have threatened him several times, including a drive-by shooting. He also fled the state where he was living in Australia to Adelaide, because of the physical threats he has received before.

The DNM drug dealer has sold ecstasy worth hundreds of thousands dollars, however, David Edwardson, his attorney has told the court that Atkinson deserves leniency, because of his gambling habit.

“What I am trying to impress on your Honour is that you do not have an evil drug dealer who has set upon, who has embarked upon a course of conduct for just pure greed and could not care less, if you like, about the potential consequences of that conduct,” said Edwardson.

However, this was the statement of Atkinson’s lawyer, Prosecutor Susan Agnew informed Judge Geraldine Davison that the former DNM ecstasy dealer has set up a well-established and sophisticated drug trafficking and making operation that made him able not to just pay back his debts, but to cut huge profits from his business. In addition to that, Atkinson has pleaded guilty to several charges, including the manufacturing and the trafficking of ecstasy.

“The accused was manufacturing and selling large quantities of drugs for substantive profit,” the prosecutor said.

“It had been ongoing and involved much effort on the part of the accused, who studied a chemistry course, set up identifications and false names and also rented premises under … false names.”

The sentence by Judge Geraldine Davison goes by: Atkinson is sentenced to eight years and five months in jail with a non-parole period of three years and six months after time in custody was taken into account.

Updated: 2015-09-05