#Dark Web Drug Trafficking Operation "Clockwerk" Dismantled in Multi-State Investigation

#Operation Overview

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. announced the indictment of Michael Chase and Jose Colon for operating "Clockwerk," a sophisticated dark web drug trafficking operation that distributed cocaine, MDMA, and other controlled substances across all 50 states and Washington D.C. between January 2023 and March 2026. The operation reportedly shipped over 2,600 packages to customers nationwide while accepting payment in Monero, an anonymity-enhanced cryptocurrency designed to conceal transaction records.

#The "Clockwerk" Operation Structure

Chase, 46, of Brooklyn, New York, and Colon, 50, of Orlando, Florida, operated a dark web vendor account under the "Clockwerk" alias, marketing themselves as a "domestic retailer/semi bulk" operation. Chase managed the vendor page and coordinated logistics, while Colon handled shipments from Florida and reported sales and inventory back to Chase via encrypted Signal messages. The two men communicated extensively between January 2023 and May 2025, discussing shipments, inventory levels, profits, and customer information.

#Scale of Distribution

The operation was substantial in scope. Customers could order bulk quantities including over 100 grams of cocaine or 1,000 MDMA pills per transaction. The vendor account operated on multiple dark web marketplaces: DrugHub, Abacus, and Black Ops. Over the roughly three-year period, the conspiracy generated significant criminal proceeds: Chase received approximately $156,000 into his Cash App accounts between January 2023 and August 2024, while Colon received $191,000 between January 2023 and December 2025.

#Money Laundering Scheme

Rather than simply pocketing proceeds, Chase and Colon employed a deliberate laundering strategy to obscure the source of their criminal income. Chase used peer-to-peer cryptocurrency traders, Cash App accounts, and shell bank accounts under the names of fictitious businesses (Designer Auto Sport NY Inc. and Good Apple Fitness LLC) to move the illicit funds. Colon took a more direct approach, depositing his criminal proceeds into personal bank accounts and then making large cash withdrawals shortly after deposit.

Notably, Chase even attempted to pay his acting coach using Monero, reflecting the brazen nature of the operation's cryptocurrency integration into everyday transactions.

#Legal Charges and Investigation

Chase faces two counts of Criminal Sale in the Second Degree, fourteen counts in the Third Degree, one count of Money Laundering in the Second Degree, and one count of Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree. Colon faces three counts of Criminal Sale in the Third Degree, one count of Money Laundering in the Second Degree, and one count of Conspiracy in the Fourth Degree.

The investigation was coordinated by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office Cyber Crime Bureau, with assistance from the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office. Assistant D.A. Adam Maltz led the prosecution under the supervision of Assistant D.A. Jeremy Glickman (Chief of the Cyber Crime Bureau) and Executive Assistant D.A. Jodie Kane (Chief of the Investigation Division).