Ross Brennan and Aarron Gledhill met at university and devised a plan to create an illegal business empire selling dangerous drugs on the 'dark web'. Using a downloaded copy of Chemistry for Dummies, they mixed and sold drugs, including the powerful painkiller fentanyl, which is 100 times more potent than heroin.

For three years, their operation went undetected until police uncovered their factory. Officers discovered evidence of both synthetic and traditional drugs being produced, along with computer equipment linking them to a sophisticated drug dealing enterprise on the dark web.

Operating from a flat in York, both men, hailing from Huddersfield, generated as much as £1,000 a day by running an illegal online supermarket on a site called AlphaBay. They purchased, mixed, and sold drugs like cocaine and fentanyl, distributing the finished products nationwide.

The pair sourced drugs globally, importing substances from countries including the USA, Poland, Mexico, Canada, and Holland. Their criminal enterprise was estimated to be worth up to £1.5 million, fluctuating with the value of Bitcoin.

They showed little concern for the lives of their customers, with four reported deaths linked to drugs purchased from their operation, although police could not directly connect these to their website, known as Savage Henry.

Brennan, a computer programmer, admitted awareness of the danger, stating in a chat, "there are bodies out there on me." In 2017, both men pleaded guilty to various drug and money laundering offences at York Crown Court.

Brennan, formerly of Great Northern Street, and Gledhill, formerly of Almondbury Bank, both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import class A drugs, conspiracy to sell those drugs, and concealing criminal property.

Brennan also admitted three charges of making indecent images and one charge of distributing indecent images. He was placed on the sex offenders register for a decade.

Brennan received a prison sentence of 13 years and eight months, while Gledhill was sentenced to four years and seven months.

The judge described Brennan as a "sophisticated and arrogant 21st century criminal," with the case being noted as the first of its kind in the UK.

A lead detective from North Yorkshire Police described Brennan as greedy, stating, "I'm confident that Brennan in particular had no doubt about the potential consequences. He was just too greedy, devious and calculating to stop."