Oluwole Adegboruwa, a 54-year-old Nigerian living in the US, has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for asterminding a multi-million dollar dark web drug trafficking operation. Adegboruwa and his accomplice, Enrique Isong, 49, were found guilty of selling over 300,000 oxycodone pills on dark web marketplaces, earning approximately $9.1 million in drug proceeds.
Key Details:
1. Crime: Conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and money laundering
2. Sentence: Adegboruwa – 30 years imprisonment, supervised release for life, and forfeiture of over $20 million; Isong – 10 years imprisonment and 3 years supervised release
3. Investigation: Joint effort by US Postal Inspection Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation
4. Prosecution: US Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah
According to court documents, evidence presented at trial and statements made at Adegboruwa’s sentencing hearing revealed that from October 2016 through May 2019, Adegboruwa sold oxycodone pills on dark web marketplaces to customers throughout the US. The jury found that Adegboruwa organized and supervised a continuing criminal enterprise that earned approximately $9,112,471 in drug proceeds.
Adegboruwa admitted to controlling sales on the dark web markets and the monetary accounts, including cryptocurrency accounts, through which the enterprise received the bulk of its profits. He also admitted to deciding 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 US Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “We will continue to prosecute and seek justice for these crimes.”
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“This case further demonstrates that true anonymity on the dark web is a myth,” said US Postal Inspection Services State Phoenix Division Inspector in Charge Glen Henderson. “US 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 US 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 US Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
Source: Vanguard
