A United States-based Nigerian, Oluwole Adegboruwa, and his accomplice, Enrique Isong, have been sentenced to a combined 40 years in prison for running a multi-million-dollar drug trafficking network via the dark web.
The duo, who were convicted of selling over 300,000 oxycodone pills across multiple states in the US, generated illegal proceeds amounting to $9 million between October 2016 and May 2019.
Adegboruwa, the mastermind of the operation, was sentenced to 30 years in prison, while Isong received a 10-year sentence.
In addition to his prison term, the US District Court also ordered Adegboruwa to forfeit $20 million, one of the largest forfeiture judgments in the history of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.
According to court records and evidence presented during the trial, Adegboruwa orchestrated a complex criminal enterprise involving the procurement, distribution, and sale of prescription-grade oxycodone pills through various dark web marketplaces.
The operation utilized sophisticated methods to conceal its activities, including cryptocurrency transactions to launder proceeds.
Adegboruwa supervised a network of individuals with distinct roles within the syndicate.
Some members sourced the drugs, while others handled packaging and distribution to customers across the US. Payments were primarily received in cryptocurrency, which Adegboruwa later converted into local currency.
In May 2024, a jury found Adegboruwa and Isong guilty of several federal charges, including conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and money laundering.
Presiding over the U.S. District Court, Judge Jill N. Parish, handed down Adegboruwa’s 30-year sentence in November 2024, following Isong’s 10-year sentencing in October.
Reacting to the sentencing, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division, Jonathan Pullen, emphasized that the operation was a highly sophisticated criminal enterprise.
He reiterated the DEA’s commitment to dismantling such networks, even within the dark web’s secretive confines.
“Adegboruwa’s drug enterprise was complex and generated millions of dollars in profits concealed through cryptocurrency transactions. This sentencing is a clear message that no hiding place exists for drug traffickers, not even in the shadowy corners of the dark web,” Pullen stated.
