Accused Ringleader Pleads Not Guilty In Alleged Online Drug Marketplace Scheme
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The accused ringleader of an alleged online drug marketplace has pleaded not guilty in Los Angeles to conspiracy and other federal charges.
City News Service says 43-year-old Marc Willems entered the plea Friday.
The Dutch citizen and seven others are charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, money laundering conspiracy and other counts.
He faces up to life in prison if convicted.
Willems was arrested in April 2012 at his home in the Netherlands and brought to Los Angeles, where the case was filed because some of the customers and an undercover agent who bought drugs through the marketplace are from the area.
The defendants are accused of running "The Farmer's Market," which allowed suppliers of drugs to anonymously sell their wares online.
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