Dark Web Drug Trafficking Operation Dismantled; Three Men Sentenced
Transnational organization sold counterfeit pills containing fentanyl and methamphetamine, laundered $2.5 million
CINCINNATI — Three men have been sentenced to federal prison following a multinational investigation that dismantled a sophisticated dark web drug trafficking organization responsible for distributing counterfeit pills throughout the United States.
The investigation targeted the Undertaker45 drug trafficking organization, a transnational criminal enterprise that operated between July 2017 and May 2023.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio, the organization used several dark web marketplaces, including DarkMarket, White House, Dark0de, Dark0de Reborn and ASAP. Members also communicated through encrypted messaging platforms such as Wickr and Telegram.
The organization distributed counterfeit OxyContin pills containing fentanyl and counterfeit Adderall pills containing methamphetamine.
Federal authorities said the organization sold approximately 40 kilograms of methamphetamine and fentanyl pills and laundered about $2.5 million in drug proceeds.
Three defendants were prosecuted in Cincinnati for participating in drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracies:
Cesar Augusto Olmos Usaquen, 51, was sentenced to 90 months in federal prison.
Juan Carlos Carroll Borrero, 43, was sentenced to 90 months in federal prison.
Eduardo Villarroel Bellorin, 37, was sentenced to 38 months in federal prison.
According to court documents, Olmos Usaquen led the organization from Medellín, Colombia, and managed its presence on the dark web. His responsibilities included receiving online orders and coordinating shipments of counterfeit pills with other members of the organization.
Carroll Borrero operated from Miami, Florida, where he received bulk shipments of counterfeit pills and distributed them to customers across the United States. Investigators said the pills were commonly concealed inside old DVD cases to avoid detection during shipment.
Villarroel Bellorin worked in North Carolina, where he received bulk pill shipments and provided them to Carroll Borrero for further distribution. He also helped coordinate the organization’s money laundering activities.
Authorities said customers primarily paid for the drugs using cryptocurrency, especially bitcoin. The organization moved the proceeds through multiple cryptocurrency wallets in an attempt to avoid detection before converting the funds into traditional currency.
The coordinated international operation resulted in the arrests of key organization members in Florida, North Carolina and Medellín, Colombia.
The sentences were announced by U.S. Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II; FBI Cincinnati Special Agent in Charge Jason Cromartie; DEA Special Agent in Charge Joseph O. Dixon; Mason Police Chief Levi Wells; and officials representing the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Justice Office of International Affairs, Colombian National Police and DEA Colombia.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Frederic C. Shadley represented the federal government in the case.
The investigation was conducted as part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative, a partnership involving federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The initiative focuses on investigating and prosecuting criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations and human smuggling and trafficking networks operating in the United States and abroad.
