Fall River man accused of selling drugs, guns through Telegram app
FALL RIVER, Mass. (WPRI) — A Fall River man was arrested Wednesday after using the Telegram app to sell drugs and ghost guns, according to acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy.
Benjamin Hunt, 26, has been federally charged with three counts of distributing controlled substances and transferring machine guns.
Court documents reveal that Hunt sold drugs and firearms on Telegram, which is a cloud-based app that's been criticized for its lack of moderation. (Telegram CEO Pavel Durov, who was taken into custody earlier this week, has been accused of aiding the criminals who use his encrypted messaging service by providing little oversight.)
(Courtesy: US Department of Justice)
Hunt advertised a variety of contraband through the Telegram app, according to Levy, including counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, ghost guns, firearm conversion switches, extended magazines, silencers and ammunition. He also regularly shipped orders to his customers through the mail in exchange for Bitcoin.
The months-long investigation into Hunt began back in February, when he sold 100 counterfeit pills to an undercover officer. Levy said Hunt shipped the pills after the undercover officer paid him in Bitcoin.
The undercover officer bought 500 more counterfeit pills from Hunt in May, followed by another 110 pills in June. Levy said the undercover officer also purchased a Glock-type firearm, two switches, an extended magazine and 3D-printed brass knuckles from Hunt over the course of the investigation.
(Courtesy: US Department of Justice)
(Courtesy: US Department of Justice)
Court documents noted that investigators intercepted a number of other packages sent by Hunt, including one with a smoke grenade inside and another that contained 13 firearm conversion switches.
Levy said the undercover officer also received a package from Hunt earlier this week containing 1,600 counterfeit pills.
Investigators believe Hunt had "an affinity for Morgan Freeman," since he did business under aliases containing variations of the actor's name. Court documents referenced Freeman numerous times, and Hunt was known to ship small figurines of the actor to his customers.
Detectives searched Hunt's apartment, vehicle and storage unit the morning of his arrest and found suspected fentanyl, cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA, morphine, codeine and mushrooms, according to court documents. The detectives also uncovered approximately 10 guns and a variety of firearm accessories, including silencers, conversion switches, extended magazines and ammunition.
Levy said Hunt owned a number of 3D printers, which he likely used to create the ghost guns, firearm accessories and weapons he sold via the Telegram app.
(Courtesy: US Department of Justice)
(Courtesy: US Department of Justice)
"This arrest underscores our commitment to dismantling dangerous networks that use technology to facilitate the illegal distribution of deadly drugs and highly dangerous and illegal firearms," Levy said. "Hunt exploited encrypted messaging platforms and the anonymity of cryptocurrency to peddle lethal narcotics and untraceable weapons, endangering communities across the country."
"The sheer volume of drugs and firearms seized during this investigation highlights the significant threat posed by these activities," he continued.
Hunt's next court date is scheduled for September.
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