Anthony Blane Byrnes, Dark Net Narcotics Trafficking, North Carolina 2019

A 19-year-old Huntersville man has been charged with drug conspiracy and related charges for trafficking narcotics he purchased on the dark web, officials announced today.

Anthony Blane Byrnes, 19, of Huntersville, N.C., was indicted by a federal grand jury in Charlotte on charges of drug trafficking conspiracy and related drug charges for purchasing narcotics on the dark web and using Bitcoin ATMs to make transactions.

According to allegations contained in the indictment and a previously-filed criminal complaint, in August 2019, law enforcement intercepted a mail parcel containing suspected narcotics. The parcel was allegedly mailed from Slovenia and addressed to Byrnes.

On or about August 7, 2019, law enforcement conducted a controlled delivery of the suspected parcel at Byrnes' residence. As alleged in court documents, law enforcement observed Byrnes picking up the parcel and retreating to his residence. Subsequently, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Byrnes' residence and seized numerous narcotics and contraband, including LSD, MDMA/Ecstasy, marijuana, other narcotics and drug paraphernalia. Law enforcement also recovered two firearms from his residence.

The indictment also alleges a previous infraction in April 2019, wherein law enforcement recovered additional narcotics and a firearm. In total, three firearms and approximately $13,800 in cash were recovered from Byrnes' residence in this investigation.

Byrnes is currently in federal custody. He is charged with drug trafficking conspiracy, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years to life in prison; possession with intent to distribute LSD, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years to life in prison; possession with intent to distribute Psilocin, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years; possession with intent to distribute DMT, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 20 years; possession with intent to distribute marijuana, which carries a maximum prison sentence of five years; and two counts of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, which carries a mandatory minimum prison sentence of five years to life, to be served consecutive to other imposed charges, per count.

The charges in the indictment are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law.

In making today's announcement, U.S. Attorney Andrew Murray commended the U.S. Postal Inspection Service for leading the investigation, and thanked the Drug Enforcement Administration, ICE's Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Huntersville Police Department for their invaluable assistance.

Assistant United States Attorney Sanjeev Bhasker, of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Charlotte, is prosecuting the case.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdnc/pr/huntersville-nc-man-faces-federal-dark-net-drug-charges