The US authorities indicted a 30-year-old Slovakian man, Alan Bill, on charges related to running Kingdom Market, a darknet market that facilitated the sale of drugs, stolen personal information, and various illegal goods.
The illicit platform was shut down last week as part of a joint law enforcement operation conducted by Germany, the US, Switzerland, Ukraine and Moldova.
Bill, also identified by the aliases “Vend0r” and “KingdomOfficial,” was apprehended on December 15 at the Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.
The indictment lists ten felonies against Bill, including conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, distribution of controlled substances, conspiracy to commit identity theft and fraud related to identification documents, identity theft, aggravated identity theft, misuse of a passport, and money laundering conspiracy.
Active since March 2021, Kingdom Market boasted over 25,000 active listings as of last month. The marketplace sold drugs (both illegal and unlicensed pharmaceuticals), stolen identities, credit card information, counterfeit money, malware, and fraudulent identity documents such as passports and driver's licenses from various states. Kingdom Market charged vendors 500 euros to initiate selling on the platform, in addition to fees on sales.
Investigators managed to infiltrate the market, making purchases that included methamphetamine, fentanyl-laced pills, personally identifiable information of numerous individuals, and even a United States passport, the authorities said.
If convicted, Bill faces a maximum of 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $5 million for the drug trafficking conspiracy charge. The identity theft conspiracy charge carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. The misuse of a passport charge could lead to a maximum of 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both. The money laundering conspiracy charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of $500,000, or twice the value of the property involved.