A drug lab found in a north Nanaimo home was raided after an exhaustive year-long investigation. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

dark web

Year-long investigation into dark web trafficking led to bust of north Nanaimo drug lab

Feb 13, 2020 | 12:46 PM

NANAIMO — A drug lab raided by RCMP in a north Nanaimo home was processing the dangerous drug known as GHB.

A release from the Federal Serious and Organized Crime division said the GHB lab on Hammond Bay Rd. was identified and taken down on Tuesday, Feb. 4 after a year-long investigation.

The project, known as EPateriform, started in January 2019 targeting a prolific vendor operating on the dark web under the name AlwaysOvrWeight. The person behind the name was believed to be selling everything from psychedelic mushrooms to GHB and fentanyl. They also went by the name bcpremo88 on encrypted communications.

A significant amount of drugs and trafficking materials were seized by RCMP in the major bust of a GHB processing lab. (submitted/Federal Serious and Organized Crime)

Sgt. Warren Krahenbil with Federal Serious and Organized Crime said investigating transactions on the dark web is “difficult and challenging.”

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“We’ve used some conventional and somewhat unconventional techniques to get this finished.”

Those techniques and assistance from Canada Post identifying packages helped narrow down the search to the north Nanaimo home on Hammond Bay Rd. and also a residence on Kiara Place.

The GHB processing lab and evidence of drug packaging and trafficking was found inside the Hammond Bay Rd. house.

Three people from Nanaimo were arrested at the Kiara Place residence. No charges have yet been laid.

Krahenbil said their already lengthy investigation continues as the physical items seized from the house are sorted and electronic devices recovered are searched.

Given the complexity of the dark web, he said it’s unclear how long the seller known as AlwaysOvrWeight was active.

“Online drug trafficking is something what has been evolving over a number of years. Unfortunately it’s not as uncommon as it used to be,” he said. “What we’re seeing is more of a paradigm shift from your traditional street trafficking to an online distribution system.”

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