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Dark web drug ‘boss’ Michael Kustic alleged to have been busted with millions in illegal products and cryptocurrency in ACT’s ‘largest ever’ haul

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Dark web drug ‘boss’ Michael Kustic alleged to have been busted with millions in illegal products and cryptocurrency in ACT’s ‘largest ever’ haul

An alleged war chest of drugs and cryptocurrency has been found at homes linked to a man alleged to be the ring leader of a drug syndicate.

Michael Adam Kustic, 39, was arrested at his home in Googong, NSW, near Canberra  on December 8 and slapped with 40 charges related to participating in what is believed to be the largest drug ring in the Australian Capital Territory’s history.

He was extradited to the ACT alongside two other men, Thomas Kelleher, 38, and James Martens, 27, who were arrested at a home in Gordon, west of Melbourne, during the sting.

Kustic was refused bail for the second time while facing ACT Magistrates Court on Thursday and is yet to enter a plea for dozens of charges.

Police revealed in court that among the alleged 68,000 items seized during the raids was about $5.5million in drugs and about $2.3million in cryptocurrencies.

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A man alleged to be part of a massive illegal prescription drug ring has been arrested at a home in Googong, near Canberra, and slapped with 40 charges (pictured, pills found at the home)

The charges Kustic is yet to enter a plea for include trafficking of a commercial quantity of a controlled drug, participating in a criminal group, multiple counts of fraud, and supplying anabolic steroids. 

More charges could be laid on Kustic and the other two men after all of the drugs allegedly found at the homes are fully tested.

However the process could take between 12-18 months due to the large amount of substances allegedly seized.

An acting sergeant told the court on Thursday that ACT Police’s drugs and organised crime team had ‘never had a seizure of this quantity’, the Canberra Times reports.

Police allege that Anabolic steroids, human growth hormones, cannabis oil, Xanax and psilocybin – the active chemical in magic mushrooms – were found at the homes.

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The group is alleged to have used the moniker ‘OzPharmLabs’ online to sell the drugs nationwide through Australia Post.

The sergeant also told the court that an image on Kustic’s phone showed a Trezor cryptocurrency wallet which showed a balance of $2.8million when police plugged the device into a laptop.

A house, five vehicles, three motorcycles and a number of designer goods and electronic devices were also seized during the raids.

Michael Adam Kustic, 39, was extradited to the ACT alongside two other men after anabolic steroids, Xanax and human growth hormones were allegedly found at the home

Michael Adam Kustic, 39, was extradited to the ACT alongside two other men after anabolic steroids, Xanax and human growth hormones were allegedly found at the home

Five vehicles were also seized during the raids

One of the vehicles was a luxury BMW

Police also seized five vehicles – one of which was a luxury BMW – as well as a number of designer goods and electronic devices

However, police are still yet to gain access to the password-protected electronic devices and multiple cryptocurrency wallets.

Kustic’s defence barrister, James Maher, told the court that police concerns that his client would access the wallets if released on bail were purely speculative.

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Prosecutor Morgan Howe rebutted Mr Maher’s comments, saying Kustic was yet to grant police access to certain devices.

‘It demonstrates non-compliance with what is a very important court order,’ Mr Howe said.

While refusing Kustic’s bail application, Magistrate James Lawton warned police to pick up the pace of investigations.

‘At some point the court has to say you’ve been given enough time,’ Mr Lawton said.

Three motorcycles were also seized (pictured, a seized Harley Davidson)

Three motorcycles were also seized (pictured, a seized Harley Davidson)

Kustic was remanded in custody and is expected to face ACT Magistrates Court again on March 28. 

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Kelleher and James have both been hit with 20 charges and are expected to appear in ACT Magistrates Court on February 29 and March 28, respectively.

Detective Inspector Mark Steel told the media the day after the raids that the group were likely responsible for a significant portion of Australia’s illegal prescription drug market.

‘These three men were allegedly running a sophisticated, coordinated and deliberate illegal business with the sole goal of illicit profit,’  Detective Inspector Steel said.

‘ACT Policing and Victoria Police have coordinated their investigation and resolution activity and this should serve as a warning to anyone seeking to profit from illegal activities.

‘If you are operating across borders you will face the combined efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies. We will arrest you, seize your assets and put you before courts to face significant criminal charges.’

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WisdomTree launches ETP focused on XRP cryptocurrency

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WisdomTree launches ETP focused on XRP cryptocurrency

WisdomTree has launched a new cryptocurrency exchange-traded product (ETP), the US asset manager announced today, with a focus on the XRP digital currency.

The new WisdomTree Physical XRP (XRPW), joins the firm’s $1.1bn lineup of physically backed cryptocurrency products, designed to provide European investors with a straightforward, regulated means of investing in digital assets without direct ownership.

The XRP asset, native to the XRP Ledger (XRPL), has carved out a unique role for itself in the digital currency landscape, as a blockchain optimised for cross-border payments and high-speed transactions.

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Bitcoin Hits $95K For The First Time Ever, Ethereum, Dogecoin Flat As Trump's Crypto Policy Takes Shape: Top Analyst Describes BTC's Path To $135K – Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust (BTC) Common units of fractional undivided beneficial interest (ARCA:BTC)

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Bitcoin Hits K For The First Time Ever, Ethereum, Dogecoin Flat As Trump's Crypto Policy Takes Shape: Top Analyst Describes BTC's Path To 5K – Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust (BTC) Common units of fractional undivided beneficial interest (ARCA:BTC)

Bitcoin hit $95,000 for the first time ever, following reports of a cryptocurrency-focused role in the incoming Donald Trump administration.

Cryptocurrency Gains +/- Price (Recorded at 7:45 p.m. ET)
Bitcoin BTC/USD +2.73% $94,794.86
Ethereum ETH/USD
               
-0.98% $3,083.96
Dogecoin DOGE/USD           -0.87% $0.3845

What Happened: The leading cryptocurrency briefly surpassed the never-seen-before level overnight on Wednesday before rebounding.

With the latest uptick, Bitcoin’s weekly gains jumped to nearly 5%, while its market dominance reached 60%. Its returns for November have shot past 33% already, against the historical average of 45%. 

On the contrary, Ethereum, the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, slid below $3,100. It was down over 3.5% over the week.

Bitcoin’s rally followed reports of a dedicated cryptocurrency role in Trump’s administration that would act as a bridge between the White House, Congress, and regulatory agencies like the SEC and CFTC.

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Nearly $350 million in leveraged positions were liquidated from the cryptocurrency market in the last 24 hours, with long liquidations accounting for $241 million.

Bitcoin’s Open Interest (OI) surged 6.52% in the last 24 hours, implying heightened speculative interest among derivatives traders.

Most of the new bets favored Bitcoin’s price increase as the number of long positions increased vis-à-vis shorts, according to the Long/Shorts Ratio.

Market sentiment remained in the “Extreme Greed” zone, as per the Cryptocurrency Fear and Greed Index.

Top Gainers (24-Hours)

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Cryptocurrency Gains +/- Price (Recorded at 7:45 p.m. ET)
Floki (FLOKI) +14.94% $0.0002822
UNUS SED LEO (LEO) +6.46% $8.47
Tezos (XTZ) +5.35% $1.08

The global cryptocurrency market capitalization stood at $3.12 trillion, following an increase of 1.32% in the last 24 hours.

Stocks traded mixed on Wednesday. The S&P 500 ended the session flat, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite slid 0.11% to close at 18,966.14. The Dow Jones Industrial Average

The Nasdaq Composite lifted 195.66 points, or 1.04%, to end at 18,987.47. The S&P 500 added 0.40% to close at 5,916.98. Meanwhile, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was the outlier, surging 139.53 points, or 0.32%, to end at 43,408.47.

Nvidia Corp. NVDA shares finished 0.76% lower ahead of third-quarter earnings, which eventually turned out to be better than expected.

.See More: Best Cryptocurrency Scanners

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Analyst Notes: Noted cryptocurrency analyst Ali Martinez drew a parallel with Bitcoin’s Dec. 2020 trajectory, observing a “nearly identical” Relative Strength Index (RSI).

“If true, BTC will go to $108,000, drop to $99,000, and bounce to $135,000,” Martinez added. 

Another widely-followed analyst, Rekt Capital, stated that Bitcoin dips from the previously broken resistance would mean a “post-breakout retest.”

“These retests aren’t always necessary but BTC’s most recent downside wicking demonstrates that there is at least retesting intent in the price action,” the analyst remarked.

Photo by SvetlanaParnikova on Shutterstock

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Trump advisers weigh White House crypto role – report (BTC-USD:Cryptocurrency)

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Trump advisers weigh White House crypto role – report (BTC-USD:Cryptocurrency)

Walter Bibikow/DigitalVision via Getty Images

President-elect Donald Trump’s team of advisers is holding talks with the digital asset industry about whether to form a new White House position focused on cryptocurrency policy, according to a media report.

The team is vetting candidates for such a

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