A dark web narcotics dealer will serve 15 years in federal prison for distributing fentanyl analogs and synthetic opioids across the United States, including to an 18-year-old who died of an overdose.
Chukwuemeka “Emeka" Okparaeke, of Middletown, had previously pleaded guilty in White Plains federal court to distributing an analog of the synthetic opioid AH-7921 and importing at least 100 grams of a fentanyl analog from Hong Kong and China into the U.S., court documents show.
He also admitted to making false declarations to law enforcement and prosecutors about the money he made from selling the substances, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office Southern District of New York.
Following his release, Okparaeke will serve five years of supervised release. He has been ordered to forfeit the money he made from the drug trafficking, which includes $105,177.30 and about $7 million worth of Bitcoins.
According to prosecutors, Okparaeke imported kilograms of the drugs from Hong Kong and cities in China and used a darknet website called AlphaBay to peddle the illicit substances from July 2016 through March 2017, The Columbian noted.
The site is only accessible by using special computer software that allows users to hide their identities, ultimately making their internet activity anonymous. It made the site a breeding ground for illegal transactions to prosper under the radar nationwide.
“Under the AlphaBay vendor name 'Fentmaster,' Okparaeke engaged in more than 7,000 sales of synthetic opioids, which he shipped to customers throughout the United States using the U.S. Postal Service,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
“[He] boasted online about his exploits as a darknet drug trafficker, offered advice to other drug dealers, and published a short story describing his criminal activities and his strategies for evading law enforcement.”
As part of his plea, Okparaeke admitted that he sold 3 grams of the synthetic opioid to 18-year-old Vancouver teenager Tim Teklinski, who overdosed and died in November 2016, according to Clark County Today.
Messages exchanged by the teen and his friend confirmed he acquired the drugs from “Fentmaster.” Teklinski would later write a review on Okparaeke’s AlphaBay vendor page to confirm he got the item.
In January 2017, Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Postal Inspection Service nabbed several packages being shipped to Okparaeke, which reportedly contained fentanyl analogs.
They moved to raid the drug house in a New Jersey address and seized more than 10 kilograms of drugs and 82 envelopes containing smaller quantities of the drugs set to be mailed to customers.
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