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While there were not known connections between the two, the

Sept. 17, 2017 by Lena Webb

While there were not known connections between the two, the case brought renewed attention to the dark web, particularly when it came to the investigation of the alleged drug use of young men in the San Antonio suburb of Fort Bend. In August of 2013, the Fort Bend Police Department began an investigation into a suspicious online marketplace that advertised itself as an anti-drug forum that was frequented by young gay men.

In addition to the case, investigators also launched an international investigation in mid-November 2013 into the alleged "Dark Web" operation. An Internet search for "MH4Life," which the FBI began tracking through surveillance cameras located on computers in the Fort Bend suburb of Fort Bend, yielded more than 800 images from the site, including photos of young men and their bodies, as well as video and videos of themselves and their children.

Following a criminal complaint filed by the San Antonio Police Department in December 2013, authorities concluded that the three were being supplied with fentanyl via the site's website.

"We're very pleased that the FBI has taken the time to conduct an investigation into this case," said FBI Special Agent Mike DeCarlo, who was appointed to the task force by Justice Department Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. "There are many, many different kinds of people involved who may or may not have illicit links to these illegal operations."

Investigators believe that the alleged drug trafficking occurred over the Internet. In October, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington, D.C., launched a criminal investigation into the alleged "Dark Web Internet" operation. Authorities say in that investigation, they believe that the undercover agents were paid to use dark web sites to get their drugs and heroin.

The FBI's investigation of the alleged "Dark Web" web site and other dark web sites came to a head on December 10, when the FBI received a call from a female informant in Tennessee. She claimed to have been involved in a connection to a fentanyl market that ran along the U.S. border. The informant described the suspected fentanyl market in various ways, including using a mobile device to make calls to the site with the help of a friend from San Antonio, Texas, and the use of various internet chat rooms to advertise and purchase products.