LIVERPOOL MAN THOMAS WHITE AND HIS DARK WEB CRIMES INVOLVING DRUGS AND CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
In April 2019, authorities uncovered a disturbing case involving Thomas White, a 24-year-old resident of Liverpool, who was deeply involved in illegal activities on the dark web.White, an unemployed individual who had dropped out of university, was implicated in running a notorious online platform that facilitated the sale of illegal drugs and, alarmingly, child sexual abuse images.
White had previously taken over the operation of the infamous dark web marketplace Silk Road after its closure by the FBI in 2013.
The Silk Road was renowned for enabling anonymous transactions involving drugs, hacking tools, and other illicit goods, primarily using the digital currency Bitcoin.
White, who had left his accounting studies at Liverpool John Moores University after just one term, served as an administrator of the original Silk Road.
Within a month of its shutdown, he launched a successor site, Silk Road 2.0, which continued the illegal trade.
Silk Road 2.0 mirrored its predecessor in functionality, allowing users to anonymously buy and sell a variety of illegal substances, including Class A and B drugs, as well as legal highs.
Despite having no legitimate source of income, White managed to afford a luxurious apartment on Liverpool’s waterfront, paying £10,700 upfront for the rent.
Investigators estimate that around $96 million worth of goods were traded on Silk Road 2.0, with White earning between 1% and 5% commission on each transaction from tens of thousands of users worldwide.
During a raid on his Liverpool flat, officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) discovered a laptop hidden under his bed.
The device contained 464 indecent images of children classified as Category A, the most severe level of child abuse material.
Further investigation revealed a disturbing online chat where White expressed his desire to establish a paedophile website, citing the potential for financial gain from such heinous activities.
The authorities also uncovered a vast amount of encrypted data stored on White’s computers.
This included hacked information from high-profile organizations such as the FBI and NASA, user details from the Ashley Madison extramarital affairs website, and data from the US Fraternal Order of the Police, which is comparable to the UK’s Police Federation.
Additionally, customer information from UK broadband provider TalkTalk was found.
It is believed that White did not hack these data himself but acquired them through other means.
White operated under aliases such as ‘St Evo’ and ‘Dread Pirate Roberts’ during his time running Silk Road 2.0, which he managed from November 2013 until March 2014.
Although he stepped back from daily operations, he remained involved by overseeing the site through a US-based subordinate, with the servers located in the United States.
His arrest came in November 2014 at his Liverpool apartment, coinciding with a broader FBI raid on the US side of the operation.
He was rearrested in early 2017 as the NCA continued its investigation.
White was largely self-taught in computer technology, having spent approximately £35,000 on equipment.
He was known to stay up late gaming and was believed to own around 50 bitcoins, which investigators seized.
At the time, these bitcoins were valued at approximately £192,000.
The NCA traced parcels of drugs ordered through the original Silk Road to identify White’s involvement.
In recent proceedings, White pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including drug trafficking, money laundering, and possession of 464 Category A indecent images of children.
Today, he was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court to a term of five years and four months in prison.
Ian Glover from the NCA emphasized that White and his associates believed they could operate anonymously on the dark web without repercussions.
However, the case demonstrates that law enforcement agencies worldwide are capable of identifying and prosecuting those who attempt to hide behind encryption and anonymity.
Glover also highlighted White’s significant role within the Silk Road hierarchy, noting that he profited substantially from his criminal activities, which are now subject to proceeds of crime investigations.
The collaboration between UK authorities and US agencies such as the FBI, Homeland Security, and the Department of Justice has been instrumental in dismantling global illegal drug networks and targeting money laundering operations involving cryptocurrencies.
Further connections were made to ‘PlutoPete’ – Peter Ward – who was sentenced to over five years in prison in March 2016 following NCA prosecution.
White actively recruited other administrators to help run Silk Road 2.0, including individuals known online as Defcon (Blake Benthall), Libertas (Gary Davis), Inigo (Andrew Jones), and Dr Clu (Brian Farrell).
All of these individuals have since faced prosecution in the United States.
John Williams from the Crown Prosecution Service stated that despite White’s efforts to conceal his identity through pseudonyms and encryption, evidence collected from seized devices and communications proved he was the mastermind behind Silk Road 2.0.
Backups of the site, along with cryptocurrency holdings linked to the ‘Dread Pirate Roberts’ alias, were found on his encrypted laptop.
Parcels sent to the online username ‘StExo,’ associated with Silk Road 2.0, were traced back to his Liverpool address and a rented mailbox.
His lavish spending, with no credible income source, and his involvement in money laundering and drug sales, further implicated him in these serious crimes.
