Shiny Flakes, whose real name is Maximilian Schmidt, is a notorious figure primarily known for founding and operating an illicit online drug empire from his bedroom. His story garnered international attention not only due to the massive scale of his operation but also due to the surprising fact that he was a teenager at the time. Born in Leipzig, Germany in the year 1994, Schmidt began his online drug trafficking operation in 2013, when he was just 18 years old. Operating under the pseudonym "Shiny Flakes", he used the Darknet (A part of the internet where illegal activities are often conducted due to the anonymity it provides) to sell large quantities of narcotics like cocaine, MDMA, and cannabis. His drug empire was so vast that it is reported he managed to sell drugs worth over €4 million before his operation was shut down by the German authorities. In 2015, Schmidt's operation came to an end when law enforcement authorities raided his home and arrested him. He was subsequently tried in a German court and sentenced to seven years in juvenile detention due to his age at the time of the crimes. His story inspired the Netflix series "How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)". As to whether he is back in jail, most recent confirmed reports suggest he was released from jail in 2019 after serving the majority of his sentence. Any rumors or speculation about him going back to jail may be unconfirmed, as media coverage about him after his release is scarce due to the fact that he has mostly stayed out of the public eye. His story remains as a cautionary tale about the dangers and consequences of illegal online activities.