Oluwole Adegboruwa, a Nigerian, aged 54, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison by a court in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, for drug trafficking and money laundering.
According to a statement released by the US Department of Justice (DoJ), US District Court judge, Jill N. Parish imposed the sentence on November 14.
Adegboruwa, of Las Vegas, Nevada, was also ordered supervised release for life and the forfeiture of over $20 million.
In May, a jury found Adegboruwa and his co-defendant Enrique Isong, 49, of Los Angeles, California, guilty of multiple federal crimes, including conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and money laundering.
On October 23, Isong was sentenced to ten years of imprisonment and three years of supervised release.
The DoJ statement reads, “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 organised and supervised a continuing criminal enterprise that earned approximately $9,112,471 in drug proceeds.
“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.”
US Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah said, “Protecting the community from illicit drugs and dismantling drug trafficking operations is a priority for my office and our law enforcement partners.
“We will continue to prosecute and seek justice for these crimes.”
Jonathan Pullen, Special Agent in Charge, DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division, said, “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.”
