Six members of a Texas-based drug ring have been sentenced for their roles in a dark web drug operation, which laundered up to $50,000 per month in cryptocurrency. The group, operating as “Loverbois,” sold nearly 12 kilograms of meth. They processed about 20 drug orders daily between July 2019 and December 2020. Sentences ranged from probation to 84 months in prison after a federal investigation dismantled the network.
Texas Dark Web Drug Ring Sentenced for Cryptocurrency Laundering
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio announced on Tuesday the sentencing of six individuals involved in a dark web methamphetamine trafficking operation. The Texas-based group distributed nearly 12 kilograms of meth disguised as Adderall pills and laundered drug proceeds using cryptocurrency between July 2019 and December 2020.
“The defendants sold at least 11.98 kilograms total of methamphetamine in pills and laundered between $15,000 and $50,000 per month using cryptocurrency,” court documents revealed. Operating under the vendor name “Loverbois,” the group used cryptocurrency to launder their profits, averaging 20 drug orders per day. “Court documents detail that Phung created and ran the Loverbois account(s) for much of the conspiracy period. He took orders online and obtained pills from Tran and Guzman.
Phung also coordinated the receipt of cryptocurrency in exchange for the pills and laundered those proceeds.” John Dang, a key figure in the group, handled the packaging and laundering. According to court filings:
Dang packaged pills for shipment and delivery and helped move and launder cryptocurrency. Dang laundered approximately $15,000 per month.
The sentences ranged from probation to 84 months in prison as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) investigation. The multi-agency probe, including the FBI, DEA, and U.S. Postal Inspection Service, aimed to dismantle drug trafficking and money-laundering networks.
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