Spanish man arrested for selling firearms through the Darknet

SPAIN’S  Guardia Civil has arrested a 24-year-old Spanish national who sold firearms through the Darknet.

This year alone, he had sent firearms and ammunition to more than 30 different buyers in 11 countries.

Six of his buyers were arrested with the help of Europol and law enforcement and customs authorities in Cyprus, Germany, Spain, Sweden the United Kingdom and the United States.

The operation started after Spanish law enforcement  officers were able to trace postal packages containing firearms and ammunition to a 24-year-old resident of Pamplona.

He sold his goods mainly through AlphaBay, at that time the biggest Darknet marketplace, which has since been taken down by US authorities.

He was one of the largest and best known firearms vendors on the Darknet and took strict measures to avoid being identified by law enforcement.

Seven arrests took place in total. Besides the main suspect, one buyer was also arrested in Spain, three buyers in Germany, one in Cyprus and one in Sweden.

More than 30 firearms were seized, together with a large amount of ammunition, spare parts, gun powder, metallic cartridges etc.

The Darknet vendor also acquired gas/alarm pistols from the open web, and converted them in a professional workshop in his garage by inserting new barrels, erasing the original serial numbers and preparing the shipping packages in which he concealed the weapons to pass through security checks unnoticed.