Changchun Customs cracked the first case of smuggling tramadol hydrochloride into the country through the "dark web" using Bitcoin payment method

People's Daily Online, Changchun, August 15 (Li Yang) The recently popular TV series "Ice Breaking Operation" tells the story of drug enforcement police who are not afraid of sacrifice and smash the underground drug network. In the play, drug dealers use the "dark web" as an Internet means to contact sellers and build a drug trafficking network, which has become the focus of discussion among netizens. However, such a plot has become a real case in real life. Recently, Changchun Customs cracked the first case of using the "dark web" to purchase Bitcoin payment methods and smuggling the national second-level psychotropic controlled drug "tramadol hydrochloride" into the country through international delivery channels, and arrested the criminal suspect and seized 1237.5 tablets of tramadol hydrochloride smuggled into the country.

On July 16, a piece of mail sent from Singapore to Changchun caught the attention of the customs inspection officers of Changchun Post Office. The mail delivery note was incomplete, with the recipient's name and phone number blank, and the delivery address was a grocery store in the community. Based on inspection experience, the customs officers on site considered the package suspicious. After unpacking and inspection, the mail contained ten boxes labeled "TRAMADOL HYDROCHLORIDE TABLETS", i.e., tramadol hydrochloride, totaling 1,000 tablets. After identification by the Material Evidence Identification Center of the Public Security Department of Jilin Province, it was confirmed that the suspected substance was tramadol hydrochloride.

Tramadol hydrochloride is a second-class psychotropic drug restricted by the state. Long-term and large-dose use can produce symptoms similar to heroin addiction, causing drug dependence, central nervous system excitement, respiratory depression, tolerance, carcinogenesis and other adverse reactions. The large number of drugs contained in the email was illegal, and the anti-smuggling personnel of Changchun Customs immediately conducted a follow-up investigation.

Since the address of the parcel was unknown and the name and phone number of the recipient were blank, it brought a lot of difficulties to the customs anti-smuggling personnel in handling the case. Based on the centralized research and judgment, the anti-smuggling police of Changchun Customs arrested the criminal suspect Zhang at 9 am on July 19 in Erdao District, Changchun City, and seized 1,000 tablets of tramadol hydrochloride from the parcel involved in the case on the spot, and seized 7.5 tablets of tramadol hydrochloride from the bag he carried with him, and 230 tablets of tramadol hydrochloride were found in Zhang's home. At the same time, Zhang also confessed that he had smuggled 950 tablets of tramadol hydrochloride into the country from Germany and Singapore three times.

According to the confession of the criminal suspect Zhang, he purchased drugs through the "dark web" using virtual currency and smuggled drugs through international delivery channels. "What is the 'dark web'? To put it simply, it is a website that cannot be found by search engines. It is at the darkest, most hidden and deepest bottom of the Internet world, and is filled with a lot of negative information. The mutual contacts of its members are extremely private, so it is very difficult to obtain evidence in the 'dark web' environment. It also has dynamic pages and is difficult to trace, which greatly increases the difficulty of tracking and cracking down on it." said the anti-smuggling personnel of Changchun Customs.

It is reported that Changchun Customs has recently seized 6 cases of drugs and psychotropic drugs. The relevant person in charge of Changchun Post Office Customs told reporters that in the future, the customs will strengthen risk analysis awareness, grasp key channels, and carry out drug inspections in a targeted manner. At the same time, it will enhance anti-inspection capabilities and comprehensively improve the accuracy of on-site supervision. At the same time, it reminds the general public to abide by national laws and regulations, and not to buy or mail psychotropic drugs in and out of the country at will, cherish life, and stay away from drugs.