Raheim Hamilton, co-founder of the darknet marketplace Empire Market, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison and fined $5 million by a U.S. federal court. Hamilton must also forfeit 1,230 BTC, valued at approximately $101 million, for his role in operating the illicit platform. Empire Market facilitated more than 4 million drug transactions between 2018 and 2020, generating over $430 million in volume. Co-founder Thomas Pavey has separately pleaded guilty and forfeited 1,584 BTC as part of the enforcement action against the marketplace's operators.