Two men who bought and sold drugs over the dark web, including ‘date rape’ substances, have been jailed.

The pair, found to be part of a group called ‘TheOxyMen’, operated across 14 dark web marketplaces selling a wide range of substances including hydroxy-n-butyric acid, commonly known as the depressant GHB.

Neal Sharpe, 57, of Valley Drive in Kingsbury, was found to be the orchestrator of the group as he acquired, held and prepared the sale of controlled drugs.

Wuwuoritsetan Orimolade, 30, of Deans Way in East Finchley, managed the orders, listings and priced the products online.

Sharpe was arrested in April 2022 as officers searched his home and a storage unit in Neasden – where 60 litres of GHB with the value of £375,000 was found.

Neal SharpeNeal Sharpe (Image: Eastern Region Special Operations)

Messages on his phone showed he was involved in the sale of a wide variety of drugs, including liquid and powder GHB, methylamphetamine, Ritalin, modafinil, ecstasy, cocaine and cannabis.

He previously admitted his role in the operation after being charged with possession with intent to supply oxycodone, MDMA, methylamphetamine, cocaine, dihydrocodeine, butanediol, methylmethcathinone, bromazolam, diazepam and clonazepam.

Substances that were found by policeSubstances that were found by police (Image: Eastern Region Special Operations)

Orimolade was arrested in July that year and Whatsapp messages showed him discussing the bulk sale of drugs such as diazepam, xanax, conazepam, zoplicone, codeine, tapentadol, ritalin and cocaine.

Wuwuoritsetan OrimoladeWuwuoritsetan Orimolade (Image: Eastern Region Special Operations)

His web history also showed searches for terms including ‘where can you find people to have sex with on drugs?’, ‘best drugs for sex?’, ‘opiate overdose symptoms’ and ‘what is ksaol used for?’.

The Oxymen profile was found to have made at least 2,585 deals, with customers believing they had a secure place to make purchases.

At a Luton Crown Court hearing today, Sharpe was sentenced to 11 years' imprisonment, with Orimolade, who was previously found guilty following trial, jailed for seven years.

Bottles with drugs that were foundBottles with drugs that were found (Image: Eastern Region Special Operations)

Detective Constable Andy Day, from ERSOU’s Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU), said: “Today’s sentencing serves as a stark reminder that the anonymity of the dark web is an illusion.

“While Sharpe and Orimolade believed that their activities were hidden and secure, our dedicated cybercrime team worked tirelessly to uncover their operation.

“The safety of the communities of the eastern region are our highest priority and no matter where criminal activity occurs, we will find and prosecute those responsible.

“There is no doubt in my mind that the removal of such a large quantity of GHB often found used in incidents of date rape and sexual assault, has prevented significant harm within our communities.”