Dark web drug dealer who operated from Norfolk home jailed

A man who operated a major dark web drugs vendor account from his home in Norfolk has been jailed for six-and-a-half years, following an investigation led by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU).

Steven Parker, 52, used his home in Hempstead near Sea Palling to run the illicit online marketplace DMSoldiersNDD (Dark Market Soldiers Next Day Delivery).

He was sentenced on Monday (24 November) after investigators uncovered his role in the site, which had been active for several years and offered a range of controlled substances for sale including heroin, ecstasy, amphetamines, diazepam, Xanax, and cannabis.

The criminal enterprise was dismantled by specialist cyber detectives from ERSOU’s Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU), who identified Parker as the key suspect. Further enquiries revealed that he managed and controlled the entire operation, with his then-partner Louise Daniels providing logistical support.

He was arrested in June 2022 in Attleborough and caught in possession of a package of pills ready to be posted to a customer. A laptop seized at the scene contained evidence linking him to the dark web vendor, with investigators also connecting him to the importation of MDMA tablets from Germany.

Parker, more recently of Belmore Close, Cambridge, was later charged with the importation and supply of class A drugs and cannabis cultivation, and jailed at a Norwich Crown Court hearing.

Daniels, 45, of Easthaugh Road, Lyng, was given a 12-month community order, 100 hours unpaid work and 15 days rehabilitation activity after being convicted of money laundering.

Detective Inspector Colin Troll, from ERSOU, said: “This case demonstrates our commitment to tackling organised crime in all its forms, including those operating in hidden online spaces.

“ERSOU’s specialist investigators work tirelessly alongside colleagues in police forces across the eastern region to tackle cyber criminality. By dismantling this operation, we have disrupted the supply of harmful substances and brought those responsible to justice.”