Dark web operation linked to at least 5 fatal overdoses
A man from Orange County and a man from Houston, Texas have been sentenced to federal prison for using the dark web to sell fentanyl-laced pills that caused several fatal overdoses.
Michael Ta, 25, of Westminster, and Rajiv Srinivasan, 37, of Houston, received long prison sentences on Monday.
From at least February 2022 to November 2022, Ta and Srinivasan conducted more than 3,800 online drug deals, selling illegal narcotics to approximately 1,400 people in all 50 states, according to the United States Department of Justice.
Srinivasan operated an account called “redlightlabs,” which he used on multiple marketplaces hosted on the dark web — a hidden portion of the internet accessible only through specialized software.
The two used that account to advertise counterfeit M30 oxycodone pills that were spliced with fentanyl and other drugs.
Srinivasan communicated with buyers through encrypted messaging apps and handled payments, which were made with virtual currencies and then rerouted through cryptocurrency exchanges.
Ta communicated with Srinivasan about the drug orders, obtained the fentanyl-laced pills and methamphetamine from various suppliers and stored them at his home, where he also sent out the orders placed through the online account.
Their operation shipped out more than 123,000 counterfeit pills that were laced with fentanyl, more than 20 pounds of methamphetamine, nearly 300 grams of “China White” (fentanyl powder and black tar heroin) and 27 grams of cocaine, the DOJ said.
Ta and Srinivasan were arrested in November 2022 and Srinivasan was transported to California to face his charges.
Last June, Srinivasan pleaded guilty one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and one count of distributing fentanyl resulting in death. Two months later, Ta also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute.
On Monday, Srinivasan was sentenced to 19 years and seven months in federal prison; Ta was sentenced to 21 years and 8 months.
The two were linked to at least five deadly overdoses from those fentanyl-laced pills, three of which they admitted to as part of their plea deals, the DOJ said.
Prosecutors said their overdose victims ranged from 19 to 51 and lived across the country in California, Florida, Colorado and Arkansas.
“Each of the five victims leaves behind a family that has been forever and fundamentally changed by defendants’ actions,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memorandum. “[They] also victimized countless others as part of an epidemic of addiction and despair plaguing our district and our country.”
In a related case, Omar Navia, 39, of Los Angeles, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.
Navia was identified as a co-conspirator to Srinivasan and Ta and admitted to being one of the people who supplied fentanyl-laced pills and methamphetamine to their customers. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison. He is due back in court for sentencing on Aug. 19.
His co-defendant, 27-year-old Adan Ruiz of Garden Grove, also identified as a co-conspirator, has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to distribute and one count of distributing fentanyl. His trial is scheduled to begin Sept. 24.
Both Navia and Ruiz are currently in federal custody.