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A US court has found a Nigerian US-based man, Oluwole Adegboruwa, 54 and his accomplice, Enrique Isong, 49, guilty of masterminding a multi-million dollar dark web drug trafficking operation, and has sentenced them to a combined 40 years in jail term.
This was revealed in a statement on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Utah.
While Adegboruwa was sentenced to 30 years of imprisonment, he was also ordered supervised release for life and the forfeiture of over $20 million.
The $20 million forfeiture is among the largest forfeitures holding a defendant financially accountable for his crimes in the history of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.
The sentence, imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Jill N. Parish, comes after a jury found Adegboruwa and his co-defendant Isong, guilty in May 2024 of multiple federal crimes, including conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and money laundering.
On October 23, 2024, Isong was sentenced to ten years of imprisonment and three years of supervised release.
According to court documents, evidence presented at trial, and statements made at Adegboruwa’s sentencing hearing, from October 2016 through May 2019, Adegboruwa, sold more than 300,000 oxycodone pills on dark web marketplaces to customers throughout the United States.
The jury found that Adegboruwa organized and supervised a continuing criminal enterprise that earned approximately $9,112,471 in drug proceeds.
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The jury found that Adegboruwa was unquestionably in charge of the illicit narcotics operation. Each member of his enterprise served in different capacities.
Some were tasked with locating and procuring pharmacy grade pills that were then re-sold through various dark web marketplaces. Others were involved in packaging the pills and/or shipping them to customers.
At trial, Adegboruwa admitted that he controlled sales on the dark web markets and the monetary accounts, including the cryptocurrency accounts through which the enterprise received the bulk of its profits.
Adegboruwa also admitted he was the one who decided to start his online dark web drug sales operation.
“Protecting the community from illicit drugs and dismantling drug trafficking operations is a priority for my office and our law enforcement partners,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “We will continue to prosecute and seek justice for these crimes.”
“This case further demonstrates that true anonymity on the dark web is a myth,” said U.S. Postal Inspection Services State Phoenix Division Inspector in Charge Glen Henderson. “U.S. Postal Inspectors remain steadfast in their commitment to dismantling drug trafficking operations, ensuring the safety of USPS customers and employees alike.”
“Adegboruwa’s criminal drug enterprise was complex, sophisticated, and generated millions of dollars in profits concealed in cryptocurrency transactions. This sentencing is a stark reminder that the DEA is relentless in the pursuit of justice, and that drug traffickers cannot hide their illicit activities even in the secretive expanses of the dark web,” said DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen.
“Money laundering continues to be a top investigative priority for IRS-CI,” said Special Agent in Charge Carissa Messick for IRS Criminal Investigation’s Phoenix Field Office. “The forfeiture amount in this case alone highlights the magnitude of the investigation conducted by IRS-CI special agents, its impact on our community, and IRS-CI’s relentless commitment to uncovering illegal schemes by following the money.”
The case was investigated jointly by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI).
Assistant United States Attorneys Thaddeus J. May, Jennifer E. Gully, and Stewart M. Young of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
