In July 2022, the dream of getting rich quickly burst. Nobody could log in anymore. What started as hype appears to be something completely different from today's perspective: the biggest cannabis scam of all time.
“Die Spur” tries to pick up track who is behind this huge scam. JuicyFields used influencers, rap videos and a specially composed song to attract small investors with the dream of so called passive income. The legalization of cannabis in more and more states spurred the prospect of fat returns. Worldwide cannabis trade fairs sponsored by JuicyFields as main sponsor, provided the platform with a seemingly serious appearance.
For many investors, the calculation initially seemed to work. “The profit was over 100 percent a year,” reports a young woman in an interview with the “Spur” reporters. She ended up investing her entire savings. “I would warn other people not to do something like that. But I got so caught up in it that I couldn't make the jump.” According to the platform, 500,000 small investors worldwide have invested on the website juicyfields.io. “Ads are still coming in every day,” says Berlin public prosecutor Ina Kinder. The majority of the victims are from Germany, but investigators also count thousands of victims in other countries. The investigators are now convinced that it is a Ponzi scheme. Forensic expert Jakob Hasse, who specializes in cryptocurrencies, analyses that sales of cryptocurrencies alone amounted to 290 million euros. But this is only a fraction of the money collected. Did the cannabis plantations used to attract investors even exist or was it all one big fake from the start? The “Die Spur” team’s research leads to Spain, Finland, Switzerland and finally to Russia. The authors speak to insiders, influencers and investigators to find out the truth about those behind the ominous cannabis platform.
How did the system make millions for more than two years - and why does the fraud continue now? Ciara Cesaro-Tadic and Lucas Eiler set off on a trail that finally leads to Russia.
