The ‘Breaking Bad’-inspired gang of students who made US$1 million selling drugs on the dark web have been jailed
The men, who were students at Manchester University, sold LSD, Ecstasy, and other drugs on the dark web, according to the UK’s National Crime Agency
By Rob Price
A “Breaking Bad”-inspired gang of British drug dealers who began selling drugs online to make money as students have been jailed for years.
The five men, currently aged between 25 and 28, made more than £800,000 ($1.1 million) through sales of Ecstasy, Ketamine, LSD, Valium, and other drugs on the dark web while students at Manchester University, according to the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA). They splashed their cash on lavish holidays in the Bahamas and Jamaica — but were first arrested shortly after the closure of the notorious Silk Road dark web marketplace back in 2013.
On Wednesday, they were sentenced to a combined 56 years in jail by the Manchester Crown Court, the NCA announced.
Ringleader Basil Assaf has been given a sentence of 15 years and three months, while James Roden has been jailed for 12. Kaijishen Patel’s sentence is 11 years and two months, Elliott Hyams’ is 11 years and three months, and junior member Joshua Morgan’s is seven years and two months.
The Manchester Evening News previously reported that the group was inspired by “Breaking Bad” — the critically acclaimed TV show about a cancer-stricken chemistry teacher who starts cooking and selling crystal meth.