News report | 01-12-2025 | 11:43
On Monday, the Public Prosecution Service (OM) demanded 3 years imprisonment and the forfeiture of 31 bitcoins against a 21-year-old man from England at the Rotterdam court. The public prosecutor of the National Office sees the suspect as a major player behind the worlds largest dark web market Bohemia/Cannabia, where drugs were sold internationally and a lot of money was earned.
On the dual platform Bohemia/Cannabia operating on the dark web, sellers could anonymously trade hard drugs, soft drugs, medicines, and for example DDoS attacks. The dark web market had sellers and customers worldwide. Of the 54 countries, the Netherlands ranked 7th as one of the larger exporters. At the beginning of this year, twenty thousand orders were already linked to the Netherlands.
Dutch servers
Due to the international nature, the High Tech Crime Team of the National Enforcement and Interventions Unit closely cooperated with other countries. The investigation into Bohemia in the Netherlands started in August 2022, when it became clear that the platform partly ran on Dutch servers in Dronten. Shortly thereafter, investigators identified the British man. When he flew to Schiphol on June 27, 2024, the police arrested him. Investigators found important evidence of his role in Bohemia on his laptop and phones. The police also secured 31 bitcoins (then worth 1.7 million euros).
The investigation shows that the technically skilled, then still minor suspect started writing scripts for the criminal organization behind Bohemia in 2019. However, he quickly gained an increasingly prominent role in setting up, managing, and securing the online drug market.
Bulletproof
The Brit uses bulletproof servers to create a hidden service called Bohemia on the TOR network, allowing users to anonymously trade illegal goods. The suspect states that in 2023 he got the chance to take over the work of one of the top members of the organization and then became a partner. But after a few weeks, problems arose because the other administrators failed to perform and money disappeared. The suspect then worked alone, alongside school, on Bohemia. Not long after, the online drug market stopped.
“Although the suspect himself claims he was dragged into crime due to his young age, the Public Prosecution Service sees it differently. Participation in the organization behind Bohemia was no incident. The market was active for at least 2.5 years and during that time he worked hard day and night and earned a lot of money. He also lived accordingly,” said the prosecutor.
The investigation further reveals that he discussed with his brother how to legitimize and spend his fortune of 1.8 million dollars. He was then setting up an online casino, renting luxurious accommodations, and traveling by private jet.
Child pornographic material
The police also discovered child sexual abuse material on the suspects Telegram account. Chat conversations he had between September 2023 and February 2024 show that he paid for the images with bitcoin. The man is therefore also on trial for possession of child pornographic material.
The court will give its verdict in two weeks.
