Indian Man Receives 5-Year Sentence for Selling Controlled Substance on Dark Web

Banmeet Singh was extradited to the US in March 2023. He was arrested in London in April 2019 at the request of the US. In January, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Court documents and statements made in court revealed that Banmeet created vendor marketing sites on dark web marketplaces, such as Silk Road, Alpha Bay, Hansa, and others, to sell controlled substances, including fentanyl, LSD, ecstasy, Xanax, ketamine, and tramadol.

Customers paid with cryptocurrency for drugs ordered from Singh using the vendor sites. He then personally shipped or arranged the shipment of the drugs from Europe to the United States through US mail or other shipping services. From 2012 through July 2017, Singh controlled at least eight distribution cells within the US, including cells located in Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Maryland, New York, North Dakota, and Washington, among other locations. Individuals in these distribution cells received drug shipments and then re-packaged and re-shipped the drugs to locations in all 50 states, Canada, England, Ireland, Jamaica, Scotland, and the US Virgin Islands, according to the Department of Justice.

The Singh drug organization moved hundreds of kilograms of controlled substances throughout the United States over the course of the conspiracy. The enterprise laundered millions of dollars of drug proceeds into cryptocurrency accounts, ultimately amassing a worth of approximately USD 150 million, an official release said.