DOJ: 288 arrested in drug investigation across three continents
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WASHINGTON – The Justice Department announced Tuesday the arrests of 288 people and the seizure of 117 guns and 850 kilograms of drugs in an investigation of online fentanyl trafficking that spanned three continents.
Besides the guns and drugs, authorities seized $53.4 million in online currencies. The case called Operation SpecTor was investigated across the United States, Europe and South America.
“Operation SpecTor was a coordinated international law enforcement effort, spanning three continents, to disrupt drug trafficking on the dark web and represents the most funds seized and the highest number of arrests in any coordinated international action led by the Justice Department against drug traffickers on the dark web,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said. “Our message to criminals on the dark web is this: You can try to hide in the furthest reaches of the internet, but the Justice Department will find you and hold you accountable for your crimes.”
The investigation resulted in 100 federal prosecutions including:
On Dec. 1, 2022, Anton Peck, 29, of Boca Raton, Florida, was sentenced to 16 years in prison for conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances, including fentanyl, methamphetamine, and heroin. He and co-conspirators mailed parcels containing fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine to a list of 6,000 customers across the country using the U.S. Postal Service.
On Nov. 18, 2022, a federal grand jury indicted Christopher Hampton, 36, of Cerritos, California, with heading an organization that obtained bulk fentanyl, operated labs in California that used high-speed pill presses to create fake pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine, and sold millions of pills to thousands of customers on the darknet. He allegedly sold nearly $2 million in narcotics online and authorities seized 450 pounds of suspected narcotics when arresting him.
On May 12, 2022, a federal grand jury indicted Holly Adams, 31, and Devlin Hosner, 33, of Indio, California, with conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, and with conspiracy to launder money. The two allegedly sold tens of thousands of counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl in exchange for cryptocurrency.
“The availability of dangerous substances like fentanyl on dark net marketplaces is helping to fuel the crisis that has claimed far too many American lives,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said. “The FBI is proud to stand with our domestic and foreign partners as we continue to shine that light into the deepest corners of the dark net and hold those accountable who continue to peddle this poison around the world.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: DOJ: Online investigation yields 288 arrests, 850 kilograms of drugs
