A Halifax man accused of using the dark web to traffic drugs has been ordered to stand trial in Nova Scotia Supreme Court on 14 charges under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
John Nicholas Allen-Simec, 32, was committed to trial following a preliminary inquiry that concluded last week in Halifax provincial court. Judge Alonzo Wright had earlier heard testimony from the RCMP’s lead investigator in January.
Although the hearing was set to continue on March 5 with testimony from a U.S. Homeland Security investigator, defence lawyer Allan Macdonald stated that his client was consenting to proceed directly to trial. Macdonald is expected to appear in Supreme Court in Halifax on Thursday to enter pleas on Allen-Simec’s behalf and initiate the process of setting trial dates.
Allen-Simec was arrested on August 30, 2023, as part of Operation Hackstone, an international investigation involving the RCMP and U.S. Homeland Security. He faces six counts of exporting a controlled substance from Canada, five of which involve hydromorphone and one related to amphetamine. Additionally, he has been charged with three counts of trafficking hydromorphone, one count of trafficking amphetamine, and four counts related to possession for the purpose of trafficking and exporting.
The RCMP announced charges against Allen-Simec in October 2023, highlighting that Operation Hackstone marked the first Nova Scotia investigation involving both the dark web and cryptocurrency transactions.
Authorities launched their probe in February 2023 after U.S. officials alerted Canadian law enforcement about opioid drugs being trafficked to the United States and across Canada. Investigators identified a suspect from Nova Scotia who was advertising drugs on dark-web marketplaces and accepting cryptocurrency payments.
The RCMP traced the operation to Halifax, where they discovered that the drugs were being distributed via mail. Police in both Canada and the U.S. intercepted multiple packages linked to the investigation.
On August 30, 2023, the RCMP executed search warrants at multiple locations across the Halifax Regional Municipality, allegedly seizing hydromorphone, Dexedrine, ketamine, ecstasy, Xanax, shipping labels, electronic devices, and a 2021 Toyota RAV4. Investigators also located and seized cryptocurrency wallets associated with Allen-Simec.
The case first appeared in court in November 2023. Allen-Simec remains free on an undertaking issued in August 2023, which mandates that he remain in Nova Scotia and inform the RCMP of any changes to his address or employment status.
