A dark web drug dealer, Isaac Elliott, 35, was arrested after selling £16,000 worth of illegal substances, including cocaine, cannabis, MDMA, and amphetamine. Customers paid him in cryptocurrency and left reviews for his products on dark web marketplaces. Elliott operated under aliases such as Lysander Spooner, Urban Sherman, and Lucy McGee for 13 years.
Elliott was apprehended on July 27 at Trade Street Stores in Cardiff following an investigation by Tarian, the regional cyber and economic crime unit for south Wales. Searches of Trade Street Stores, the premises at Cheesy Brics, a flat above, and addresses in Abergavenny and Cwmbran uncovered substantial evidence of his drug-dealing operations. Items seized included various drugs, drug paraphernalia, electronic devices, and encrypted storage.
Prosecutor Emma Harris revealed that Elliott used encrypted devices, including a laptop running Tails, an amnesic incognito live system designed to erase all memory and data upon shutdown. Officers successfully bypassed these security measures, uncovering buyers' lists, drugs for sale, and customer reviews. Investigators traced Elliott’s activities across multiple dark web marketplaces, including Abacus, Dark Matter, ASAP, Incognito, Cybermarket, and Bohemia.
Over the years, Elliott had sold £16,745 worth of drugs, primarily Adderall, but also LSD, oxycodone, Xanax, DMT, cocaine, ketamine, and more.
Elliott later pleaded guilty to five counts of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs and one count related to Class B drugs. He had previous convictions for drug-related offences, including cannabis production and drug-driving.
In court, defence barrister Andrew Taylor cited Elliott's difficult upbringing, ADHD diagnosis, and early exposure to substance abuse as mitigating factors. Taylor described how Elliott began using cannabis at 12 and moved to Class A drugs by age 15, self-medicating to cope with his challenges.
Judge Richard Kember sentenced Elliott to four years in prison. He will serve half of his sentence in custody before being released on licence to complete the remainder.
