NEW YORK, N.Y. (PIX11) — Two men have been indicted for allegedly selling drugs on the dark web in exchange for cryptocurrency, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. said.
According to court documents, between January 2023 and March 2026, Michael Chase, 46, of Brooklyn, and Jose Colon, 50, of Orlando, Florida, allegedly sold cocaine and other controlled substances on the dark web under the alias “Clockwerk.” Clockwerk operated on dark web marketplaces and advertised itself as a “domestic retailer/semi bulk” operation. Buyers could order over 100 grams of cocaine or 1,000 pills of MDMA.
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Chase allegedly managed Clockwerk’s dark web vendor page and accepted payment in Monero, an “anonymity enhanced” cryptocurrency designed to prevent transactions from being tracked or monitored, court documents showed. Chase would end up doing business with customers in all 50 states and Washington D.C., shipping out over 2,600 packages with the help of his associate Jose Colon.
According to court documents, between January 2, 2023, and May 25, 2025, Chase and Colon allegedly sent hundreds of messages to each other using the encrypted messaging app, Signal, discussing shipments, inventory, profits, customers, and packaging.
Chase and Colon allegedly laundered their drug proceeds using peer-to-peer cryptocurrency traders, Cash App accounts, and shell bank accounts in the name of fictitious businesses, court documents showed.
According to court documents, Chase allegedly received approximately $156,000 into his Cash App accounts, then moved the money through two fictitious business accounts: Designer Auto Sport NY Inc. and Good Apple Fitness LLC. Meanwhile, Colon allegedly received $191,000 and had the funds directly sent to his personal bank accounts.
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Chase and Colon now face charges of Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance, Money Laundering, and Conspiracy, among other charges.
“Michael Chase and Jose Colon allegedly used the dark web to sell dangerous drugs in exchange for cryptocurrency, before moving the funds into fictitious business accounts. They allegedly shipped drugs to all fifty states, jeopardizing the health and safety of individuals across the country,” said District Attorney Bragg. “I want to thank our partners at USPIS and the Suffolk County D.A.’s Office for their partnership in this investigation.”
Submit tips to police by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), visiting crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, downloading the NYPD Crime Stoppers mobile app, or texting 274637 (CRIMES) then entering TIP577. Spanish-speaking callers are asked to dial 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
Christopher Gress is a meteorologist and digital content producer at PIX11. He joined the station in 2020 as a weather producer. Chris is a New Jersey native and grew up in Bayonne. You can find more of his work here.
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