Dark Web Drug Overlord Gets 5-year Sentence — Ohio’s Involvement Unveiled

On Friday, a guy who was responsible for leading a major drug ring on the dark web that was worth several millions of dollars and had an influence on all fifty states, as well as numerous other nations, was sentenced to prison.

In India, Banmeet Singh, who is forty years old, was given a sentence of five years in prison. According to the United States Department of Justice, he was also ordered to surrender around $150 million worth of cryptocurrencies stored in his accounts.

In court filings, it is stated that Singh was responsible for the creation of vendor marketing websites on dark web markets like as Silk Road, Alpha Bay, and Hansa. According to the documents made available by the court, customers would use cryptocurrencies to purchase pharmaceuticals such as fentanyl, LSD, ecstasy, Xanax, and ketamine, which Singh would then send from Europe to the United States.

Between 2012 and July 2017, Singh allegedly controlled eight distribution cells in the United States, according to the investigators. It was discovered that some of the cells were situated in the states of Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Maryland, New York, North Dakota, and Washington.

Following that, the drugs were dispersed throughout all fifty states, as well as Canada, England, Ireland, Jamaica, Scotland, and the United States Virgin Islands, according to the Department of Justice.

Over several years, the narcotics network, which is estimated to be worth over $150 million, is said to have transported hundreds of kilograms of banned chemicals throughout the United States. In April 2019, Singh was taken into custody in London, and he was eventually extradited to the United States in March of 2023.

At an earlier point in time this year, Singh entered a guilty plea to the charges of conspiring to possess controlled narcotics with the intent to distribute them and conspiring to commit money laundering.

According to a report that was published by NBC4 in January, seven additional individuals had been accused in connection with the drug network. Two of these individuals had been convicted in the Southern District of Ohio.