Russian Darknet Market Introduces MoriCoin on Solana

A new memecoin, MoriCoin, was launched today on the Solana blockchain by a Russian darknet drug marketplace. This unconventional token launch was highlighted by cybersecurity expert Vladimir S. (@officer_cia on X), who noted that the onion-based marketplace appears to be operational based on several reviews.

The marketplace’s founder, known as Professor Moriarty, also operates a Russian-language YouTube channel with over 3.2 million subscribers. The channel features content related to criminal organizations, law enforcement tactics, and the illegal drug trade, including videos with titles like “WHAT RUSSIA GETS HIGH ON: 1980-2023.”

Given the illicit nature of the marketplace, traditional marketing methods are unavailable. The project’s X account suggests that MoriCoin is a marketing strategy designed to leverage the brand’s YouTube following and promote it across the X platform. Additionally, MoriForum, a Telegram community with over 35,000 members, has been teasing the token's launch and providing detailed instructions for beginners on how to get started with crypto, describing a wallet as “like a banking app, but for crypto.”

In a move reminiscent of Donald Trump’s branding tactics, the largest MoriCoin holders are promised exclusive rewards and direct communication with Professor Moriarty via a “whale chat.”

As MoriCoin was officially launched, its market cap briefly reached around $50 million before halving in value. At the time of writing, around 7,000 holders were vying to trade roughly $600,000 worth of liquidity on Solana’s Jupiter exchange.

Despite recent regulatory developments like the passing of the GENIUS stablecoin bill and US Army-sponsored Coinbase parades, the crypto world remains a chaotic space, with this latest darknet memecoin launch highlighting that the “wild west” phase is still very much alive.