Four men have been sentenced to a combined total of more than 47 years in prison for conspiring to supply Class A, B, and C drugs across the UK through darknet markets. The operation involved the sale of counterfeit pharmaceutical tablets, the contents of which were unknown and considered potentially lethal.
The case followed an investigation by the Cyber Team of the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU), with sentencing taking place on Friday, 12 December, at Kingston Crown Court. The defendants were identified as Osvaldas Novikovas, Jordanas Avizienius, Javed Afzal Khan, and Marius Sutrinavicius.
Operating under the name “SocialPharma,” the group presented itself as an online pharmacy while selling drugs via Telegram and multiple darknet vendor accounts. Their core products included counterfeit pharmaceutical tablets, as well as heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and ketamine. Established in 2018, SocialPharma received at least £4.3 million in Bitcoin, with investigators identifying evidence that approximately £2.5 million was laundered through Jordanas Avizienius’ personal account.
Osvaldas Novikovas, aged 32, was described as the driving force behind SocialPharma and was responsible for overall operations and drug supply. Jordanas Avizienius, 27, acted as Novikovas’ right-hand man, overseeing sales activity and managing darknet channels. Marius Sutrinavicius, 44, operated the day-to-day packing house, where drugs were prepared and posted, while Javed Afzal Khan, 55, supplied pharmaceutical drugs to the operation.
Novikovas, Avizienius, and Sutrinavicius pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs, including counterfeit pharmaceuticals, heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine, and ketamine. Avizienius also pleaded guilty to possession of criminal property. Khan pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A and C drugs involving counterfeit pharmaceuticals and was later convicted following trial of conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs, including cocaine and ketamine, as well as conspiracy to supply Class A drugs involving heroin.
Sentences handed down by the court saw Novikovas receive 13 years and six months’ imprisonment, Avizienius 10 years and six months, Sutrinavicius eight years and three months, and Khan 15 years.
