Scott Mark Warnes: Logan labourer unveiled as dark web drug dealer in raid

A labourer from Logan who made $150,000 offering drugs on the dark web for crypto claims his whole underground operation was a fraud, a court has heard.

A labourer from Logan who made $150,000 offering drugs on the dark web for crypto claims his whole underground operation was a fraud and he didn’t intend to actually supply the drugs, a court has heard.

Scott Mark Warnes. Picture: Facebook

Scott Mark Warnes, 28, pleaded guilty in district court at Beenleigh on Friday to 33 counts of supplying dangerous drugs and one count each of possessing property obtained from supplying dangerous drugs, possessing dangerous drugs and possessing anything used in the commission of a crime.

The court heard NSW police intercepted an express parcel in Sydney that contained a number of items including a bag with 25 small pieces of cardboard which tests later revealed contained 0.39 grams of LSD on January 3, 2020.

The package also a Christmas card with a checklist for taking LSD and Warnes fingerprints were found on them.

Police executed a search of Warne’s address and seized 100 capsules containing 8.6 grams of methasterone and 39.1 grams of liquid testosterone on December 9, 2020.

The court heard Warnes told police he had been “cloning dark net sites” and making fake sites to sell drugs.

He told them he had made about $150,000 from the sales which were kept in his Bitcoin wallet.

Police found a USB drive containing the Bitcoin and about $25,000 in cash which he had recently gotten for selling his Bitcoin.

An analysis of Warnes’ phone showed he had offered to supply LSD, MDMA and cocaine on 32 occasions to 30 customers between December 7-8, 2020.

Warne told police he had no intention of supplying the drugs and said this was just a way for him to get money from people who were looking for illegal drugs.

Warne’s lawyer told the court her client suffered from PTSD due to trauma from his childhood and was now seeking professional help to deal with his issues with drugs.

The court heard Warnes had a limited but relevant history and had been convicted for four counts of fraud in 2017 in relation to a fraudulent sale of Bitcoin.

Judge Craig Chowdhury sentenced him to three years imprisonment with an early parole release date on October 27, 2022.