Breaking Bad was just one of those TV shows – even if you didn’t watch it, you still knew the names Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, as well as the fact that they manufactured the finest meth America had ever seen.

I’m sure there have been plenty of copycat stories in real life, but perhaps none have been as financially successful as the operation run by mystery online retailer xxxMDMA.

The unknown punters arrived on the so-called dark web back in 2015, offering MDMA as well as fentanyl, a powerful drug ‘often described as 100 times more powerful than morphine’.

Here’s an example of a listing of theirs, which appeared on a number of dark web sites where illicit goods and services are traded:

It would be fair to say that business boomed, with VICE estimating the account sold more than $500 000 (R7,1 million) worth of fentanyl alone. That’s not the remarkable part though, because many dealers have made vast sums of money selling their wares on Silk Road and similar sites.

Rather it’s the biography page that sets this one apart, which has a story that sounds decidedly familiar:

“I am going to keep this as straightforward and simple as possible. The reason I am here, without revealing too much information about myself, is I need to make an additional large amount of money to pay for a very important and expensive medical procedure for someone very close to me.”

“This person is young and has a lot of life to live and the insurance companies do not care at allI. I will do whatever it takes to save this person. I am not asking for a handout or anything, I am asking that you give me a chance to show you that I have access to excellent substances and you will be helping me out in the process.”

I am a devout Christian and I never thought I would become a drug dealer and once I have earned enough money to help this person out I will no longer be a drug dealer. My guess is approximately 6-9 months as there are legal funds being raised for this cause as well.”

Great sales pitch, and it really seemed to work. Some of the glowing customer reviews:

“Perfect. As Usual. Thanks Bud!” wrote one user who spent $1,100 on a gram of fentanyl.

“Overall great first experience. Stealth is the best ive had yet. Will be my go to vendor for sure,” wrote another who spent $150 on fentanyl in early June. ‘Stealth’ is the steps the vendor takes to encrypt communications, disguise the packaging, vacuum seal the product, and is a coveted ability for darknet vendors.

The wheels came off though, about seven months after the account first went active. Shipping of products stopped, and some punters desperate for their fix lost upwards of $30 000 worth of bitcoins, the currency used in such transactions to avoid detection.

Really, what is the world coming to when you can’t trust an unknown drug dealer on the dark web these days?

Perhaps all that money did go towards an important medical procedure, although it’s probably more likely that someone got rich quickly off the back of a TV classic.

You can, and I’d recommend you do, read the full story of xxxMDMA HERE.

[source:vice]