California Man Who Distributed Drugs In Stuffed Animals Sentenced to Years in Federal Prison

A California man was sentenced to years in federal prison for distributing various drugs using stuffed animals as packaging.

Jerrell Eugene Anderson, 34, of Santa Clarita, is the leader of a darknet drug trafficking operation who operated under aliases like "Drugpharmacist" and "rickandmortyshop."

From 2018 to 2019, Anderson, along with his co-conspirators, sold illicit drugs including cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin on darknet marketplaces such as Dream and Wall Street Market.

The operation relied on using stash houses across the San Fernando Valley, where drugs were hidden inside stuffed animals and mailed nationwide.

The scheme contributed at least one fatality, where an individual in Tennessee died of an overdose, CBS reported.

On Thursday, Anderson was sentenced to eight years in federal prison in a Los Angeles federal court. He pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, possession with intent to distribute heroin, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.

"Anderson pleaded guilty on June 10 to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime," a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California read.

The investigation into Anderson's operations involved local police, the FBI, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.