Illegal drugs, stolen data and other illicit items are all sold online, creating new challenges for law enforcement. The Criminal Investigation unit of the IRS last fall helped take down a sophisticated Phoenix drug ring that sold heroin, methamphetamine and cocaine on the dark web.
Buyers and sellers communicated using encrypted messages and payments were made in cryptocurrency, leaving no formal trail for authorities to follow. But federal prosecutors secured prison sentences for those involved in the dark web drug smuggling scheme.
Joining The Show to talk about the kinds of challenges cases like this pose to the agency are Ismael Nevarez, special agent in charge for the IRS Criminal Investigation Division for Arizona, and IRS Special Agent Brian Watson, who’s based in Tucson. Nevarez shared how long internet crimes committed on the dark web have been a focus of the IRS.
