PartyCrew Vendor Team Sentenced, An American husband-and-wife darknet market vendor team who operated under the name PartyCrew were sentenced on charges related to drug distribution and money laundering on Thursday, Jun 1st. Benjamin Flanigan and Haleigh Flanigan, both 27 and of Lexington, Kentucky, admitted in court to being responsible for the vendor operation which had a presence on several darknet markets over the years, including Empire Market, World Market, Dark0de, White House Market, and Archetyp.
According to posts on the Dread darknet forum, PartyCrew specialized in the sale of alprazolam- and etizolam-containing candies, although they apparently sold other drugs as well, including Ecstasy (MDMA). The benzodiazepine-laced products were packaged to appear as if they were originating from a Kentucky-based store named Ruth Hunt Candy.
PartyCrew ad for MDMA posted to the Dread forum in June 2020.
Although the press release by the US Department of Justice about the sentencing does not contain many details about the duo’s arrest, it revealed that Haleigh Flanagan attempted to use “cryptocurrency anonymizing tools” to conceal the origins of their criminal proceeds. They accepted both Bitcoin and Monero as methods of payment, using the US Postal Service to mail orders across the country.
Court documents revealed that FBI agents had made purchases of PartyCrew products, conducted surveillance on their residence, and executed search warrants on their apartment where they found nearly 23 grams of 2C-B and benzodiazepine-containing candies.
Benjamin Flanigan was sentenced to 18 months on drug distribution charges while Haleigh Flanigan was sentenced to 48 months for drug distribution and conspiracy to commit money laundering charges. They pled guilty to the charges against them in February of this year. A third member associated with the vendor operation, who also pled guilty to drug distribution and money laundering charges, is set to be sentenced in July.
