Finnish man faces at least 10 years in prison for running dark web drug marketplaces

A prosecutor in Finland is demanding a minimum 10-year prison sentence for a man from Joensuu accused of creating and operating three dark web platforms that facilitated over €5 million in illegal drug sales between 2019 and 2024, reports Yle.

The defendant allegedly established the Sipulimarket, Tsätti, and Sipulitie sites on the Tor network, mimicking legitimate e-commerce platforms. Users registered on the sites, selected drugs, and paid with cryptocurrency, with the marketplace taking a commission on each sale.

According to the prosecution, the Sipulitie site alone facilitated the sale of at least 15.7 kg of amphetamine, 3.5 kg of alpha-PVP, 29 kg of cannabis, thousands of ecstasy tablets and LSD blots, as well as doping substances and prescription medications. The combined turnover of Sipulimarket and Sipulitie exceeded €5.3 million, with the defendant allegedly earning over €690,000 in commissions.

The case is being heard in North Karelia District Court. Three additional men face charges for providing customer support to the platforms. The defendant has admitted to founding and maintaining the sites during preliminary investigations.

Finnish Customs shut down Sipulitie in autumn 2024, while Sipulimarket—launched in 2019—had previously been closed by Polish authorities after operating for 18 months. A partial database recovery revealed over 2,100 drug transactions in a single month on Sipulimarket.

The prosecution has charged the main defendant with aggravated drug offences, doping violations, and medicinal product crimes.