A Wokingham man has been sentenced for selling prescription drugs online, risking lives and evading the law for years
Wokingham: Kevin Richardson, a 58-year-old from Station Road, found himself in hot water after pleading guilty to 15 drug-related charges. He showed up at Reading Crown Court today, and things didn’t go well for him.
Richardson admitted to some serious offenses, including selling morphine and other controlled substances like diazepam and tramadol. He was caught red-handed with a stash of medications that he was peddling online.
Back in April 2022, police raided his home and discovered a bunch of digital devices linked to dark web accounts. They seized around 99,000 capsules of various medications, valued at about £77,000, along with £12,000 in cryptocurrency and £8,000 in cash.
He was using cryptocurrency to sell these prescription-only meds on the dark web and shipping them out through Royal Mail. It’s pretty wild how he thought he could get away with it.
Elena Vickers, a specialist investigator, mentioned that this was the result of a thorough three-year investigation, with help from agencies in the U.S. She warned that buying drugs online can be super risky, as they might not be safe at all.
Detective Inspector Rob Bryant added that they’re serious about tackling organized crime. He made it clear that selling on the dark web doesn’t mean you’re off the hook. They caught Richardson just in time to prevent a lot of harm to the community.
In the end, Richardson was sentenced to nine years and nine months in prison. It’s a tough lesson learned for him, and a reminder for others about the dangers of the dark web.
