Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)’ tells the shocking tale of a teenager who decides to sell drugs through a website in order to impress his ex-girlfriend. It begins with a naive boy trying to win back the heart of the girl he likes, but soon puts him in the dangerous situations that come with the trade. The show serves an intriguing premise, one that hasn’t been explored previously. Despite its originality, it makes us wonder if a teenager like Moritz Zimmermann can actually do such a thing? Is ‘How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)’ based on true events? Here’s the answer.
Is How to Sell Drugs Online Fast based on a true story?
Yes, ‘How to Sell Drugs Online Fast’ is inspired by a true story. Creators Philipp Käßbohrer and Matthias Murmann came across the story of a person named Maximilian S., and found the idea intriguing enough to craft their own version of it, and made a number of changes in the story while bringing it on the screen.
The story of Maximilian S. started in December 2013, when the then-18-year-old started a business from his parents’ apartment in Leipzig. He used the Darknet to start Shiny Flakes and, over the course of 15 months, he had sold more than 600 kilograms of drugs and generated a revenue in millions. He disguised it under the facade of web-design business. As far as it is known, he worked alone, managing everything on his own. He did well for a while, but it took just one mistake to bring it all tumbling down.
The cops first got a whiff of his work when he failed to use the correct postage on one of his packages. Due to this, the package was not delivered and was eventually opened at the mailing centre. Maximilian also used the same place to mail the product which made it easier for the cops to track him down. They staked him out and eventually caught him in the middle of a sale. A total of 320 kilos of drugs worth 4.1 million euros was seized from his house.
In turning the story into a Netflix show, the creators decided to spice things up, and threw more characters into the fray. They found Maximilian’s story rather dreary, considering that he was alone in the endeavour (or so he claims). So, while the core of the story shares similarities with the real one, the rest of the show is entirely made up by the writers.
Where is Maximilian S. Now?
Maximilian was arrested in 2015 and was tried as a minor, which allowed a staggering reprieve in his sentence. He only got seven years in prison, but even in that, he enjoys more liberty than any adult in his place would have. He is allowed to leave the prison during the day, getting a chance to reinvent his life. It was during one of these breaks that he walked into the set of ‘How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)’. He had heard about a series inspired by his story and wanted to see what it would look like. When he introduced himself to the crew, they thought he was making it up. When they discovered that he was for real, he not only shared his ideas and thought process with them, but even showed them how to arrange MDMA in boxes.
Read More: TV Shows About Drug Trade
