A 34-year-old man from Featherstone, Staffordshire has been charged in connection with a dark web drug operation that allegedly spanned multiple countries and included cryptocurrency laundering, custom packaging, and stealth shipments hidden inside children’s toys.
Andrew Percival, known in darknet circles by the alias “SilentDruid”, is facing multiple counts of possession with intent to supply class B and C substances, along with money laundering and conspiracy to export controlled substances. The charges stem from a year-long investigation conducted by Staffordshire Police’s Cyber Crime and Digital Forensics Unit, in collaboration with UK Border Force and Europol’s Darknet Monitoring Task Force.
Authorities executed a search warrant at Percival’s home in February 2023, uncovering a fully equipped processing lab hidden behind a false wall in his garage. Inside were vacuum sealers, digital scales, and branded packaging materials featuring QR codes, darknet wallet addresses, and discreet warnings like “not for beginners.”
The estimated street value of the drugs recovered from the home is £10,000, though police believe that figure only scratches the surface. A separate intercepted package at Heathrow Airport, destined for a drop address in Berlin, contained a custom hollowed-out book with concealed compartments filled with synthetic pills and hash oil cartridges.
Investigators allege Percival ran a dark web storefront called “BotanyBay44”, offering curated drug bundles ranging from herbal highs to prescription sedatives, all available in Bitcoin or Monero. Customers praised the shop’s “fast stealth shipping” and “quality-to-price ratio” in forum reviews, one of which read: “Arrived disguised as a plush toy. 10/10 vendor.”
Financial analysts attached to the investigation say Percival laundered profits through a chain of shell companies and crypto tumblers, including one flagged for moving over £450,000 in assets through Eastern European nodes between 2021 and 2023.
At the time of his arrest, Percival was reportedly logged into his encrypted vendor dashboard, tracking a shipment en route to Austria.
He is scheduled to appear at Dudley Magistrates’ Court on January 2, where prosecutors are expected to argue that his operation was part of a larger, loosely affiliated darknet supply ring operating under the banner “NovaDusk Syndicate.”
While Percival has not entered a plea, law enforcement sources suggest more arrests may follow.
