SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A Rancho Cordova woman was indicted on
Thursday, charged with distribution of fentanyl and oxycodone and other opioids
as a result of a coordinated operation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug
Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service that has
identified, disrupted, and prosecuted illegal operators on the darknet.
U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott, FBI Special Agent in Charge
Sean Ragan, HSI Special Agent in Charge Ryan L. Spradlin, DEA Special Agent in
Charge Christopher Nielsen, and USPIS Inspector in Charge Rafael E. Nunez made
the announcement today.
U.S. Attorney Scott stated: “Building on the seizure and
shut-down of the AlphaBay criminal marketplace in 2017, the cases we are
discussing today continue to send a clear message, that if you choose to engage
in criminal transactions on the darknet, you will have federal law enforcement
from every district and state across the nation pursuing you. There is no
hiding, no safety, and no anonymity in the darknet.”
“The darknet supports an illegitimate commerce system where
criminals think they can anonymously traffic dangerous substances and goods
into the Unites States,” said Ryan L. Spradlin, Homeland Security
Investigations Special Agent in Charge for northern California. “HSI is
watching and taking down criminals by using innovative technology and uniquely
trained analysts and special agents to uncover this type of illicit and
dangerous activity. Our country is in the midst of a serious opioid addiction
crisis; and some users will do anything to get their hands on drugs like
fentanyl. Tens of thousands of people die every year from overdosing on
opioids. We all need to do our part to police the streets and all corners of
the internet to make sure people do not have unlimited access to these
potentially deadly substances.”
“The darknet has become a one-stop shop for individuals
peddling powerful opioids, like fentanyl, because of the anonymity it seemingly
offers to those who seek to evade detection. As these investigations
demonstrate, sophisticated technology is no match for law enforcement when
resources and expertise are combined to achieve a common public-safety goal. We will identify and prosecute those who
distribute drugs under this illusion of secrecy,” stated DEA Special Agent in
Charge Chris Nielsen.
San Francisco Division Inspector in Charge Rafael Nunez of
the U.S. Postal Inspection Service stated, “Postal Inspectors are continuously
working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our partners in law enforcement in
operations just like this one to keep dangerous drugs out of the communities we
serve.”
The operation, which was initiated in September of last
year, has yielded 14 arrests, four indictments, and 40 search and tracking
warrants. In addition, agents have seized $423,912 in U.S. currency, $1,937,410
in cryptocurrency, four vehicles, two pill presses, and six firearms. Agents
have also made large seizures of narcotics, including heroin, cocaine,
methamphetamine, LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, marijuana, and oxycodone.
Two recent cases exemplify the work of the coordinated
operation.
United States v. Carrie Alaine Markis, et al. (Case No.
2:19-cr-062 JAM):
On April 4, 2019, a federal grand jury returned a six-count
indictment against Carrie Alaine Markis, 42, of Rancho Cordova, charging her
with distribution of fentanyl, distribution of oxycodone, and conspiracy.
According to court documents, Markis was a registered
California nurse who sold more than 20,000 prescription opioid pills and
products on various darknet sites, including Silk Road 2.0, Pandora, and
AlphaBay. Between 2013 and 2016, she purchased legitimate prescriptions from
willing sellers. Then, she resold these pills and patches through her darknet
business, “Farmacy41,” which she ran from her Rancho Cordova home.
Markis’s business operated on Silk Road 2.0 from November 2013
through May 2014. During this time, Markis sent private messages to her
customers revealing that she was a licensed California medical professional.
She sold more than 8,500 hydrocodone pills and more than 2,500 oxycodone pills.
In combination with other sales of morphine, hydromorphone, fentanyl, and
methadone, Markis earned about $230,000 in Bitcoin at the time.
Markis’s Farmacy41 business operated on Pandora from
December 2013 through August 2014. During this time, she again sold more than
2,500 hydrocodone and more than 2,000 oxycodone pills. In combination with
other sales of morphine, hydromorphone, methadone, and fentanyl, she completed
about 393 transactions and earned about $122,000 in Bitcoin at the time.
On AlphaBay, Markis operated her Farmacy41 business from
November 2015 through April 2016. There, she completed about 262 transactions
for hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine, methadone, and fentanyl. At the time, her
Bitcoin earnings were worth about $74,000.
Federal agents searched Markis’s residence on January 24,
2019, and found about $1.8 million in Bitcoin held on a cold storage
cryptocurrency wallet. Agents also found about $234,000 in cash. Markis was
arrested on a federal complaint and made her initial appearance in court on
January 25, 2019.
Andrea Michelle Jordan, aka Jill Jordan, 52, was arrested
April 4, 2019, in Elk Grove. According to court documents, Jordan allegedly
purchased legitimate pill and patch prescriptions from sellers in the area and
then provided these to Markis, who then sold them to customers through Markis’
Farmacy41 darknet storefronts.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Beck is prosecuting the case.
If convicted, Markis faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison
and a $1 million fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the
discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors
and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of
variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent
until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
United States v. Jason Keith Arnold, et al. (Case No.
2:19-cr-043-MCE):
On March 7, 2019, a federal grand jury returned a five-count
indictment against Jason Keith Arnold, 45, David Lee White, 49, and Alicia
Marie McCoy, 30, all of Chandler, Arizona, charging them with distribution of
heroin and methamphetamine, and conspiracy. According to court documents,
Arnold, White, and McCoy operated the vendor accounts “TheSickness” and “SicknessVersion2”
on Dream Marketplace, through which they conducted more than 3,000 transactions
for heroin and methamphetamine to customers throughout the country.
Federal agents conducted several undercover purchases of
heroin from SicknessVersion2 from May 2018 through October 2018. In the parcels
received by agents, the purchased heroin was placed inside Haribo Gold gummy
bear packages. All of the parcels were mailed from the Chandler, Arizona area.
One of the undercover purchases was paid for with a postal account controlled
by Arnold. Agents conducted surveillance of post offices in the Chandler,
Arizona region and were able to determine that White and McCoy were mailing a
large volume of parcels and were purchasing thousands of dollars in stamps.
Arnold, White, and McCoy also held accounts at a cryptocurrency exchange
company in which they exchanged hundreds of thousands of dollars in Bitcoins
for U.S. currency.
On February 21, 2019, federal agents executed search and
arrest warrants at Arnold’s residence, his tattoo shop, and a motel room
occupied by White and McCoy. In the motel room, agents found heroin, and
methamphetamine. Agents also found heroin at Arnold’s residence.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Grant Rabenn and Paul Hemesath are
prosecuting the case. Arnold made his initial appearance in Phoenix, Arizona on
February 22, 2019. White made his initial appearance in Sacramento, on March
21, 2019. McCoy made her initial appearance in Sacramento, on March 7, 2019.
If convicted of conspiracy, Arnold, White, and McCoy face a
maximum statutory penalty of life in prison, a mandatory minimum of 10 years in
prison, and a $10 million fine. If convicted of distribution of a controlled
substance, Arnold, White, and McCoy face a maximum statutory penalty of 20
years in prison and a $1 million fine. Any sentence, however, would be
determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable
statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into
account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants
are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
These and other cases are the product of investigations by
the Northern California Illicit Digital Economy (NCIDE) task force, which is
composed of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security
Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the United States
Postal Inspection Service. The Rancho Cordova Police Department and Health and
Human Services, Office of Inspector General assisted in U.S. v. Markis.
These cases were brought in conjunction with the Joint
Criminal Opioid Darknet Enforcement (J-CODE) Team. Established within the FBI’s
Hi-Tech Organized Crime Unit, J‑CODE is an initiative announced in
January 2018, targeting drug trafficking, especially fentanyl and other
opioids, on the darknet. Building on the work initiated with the takedowns of
Silk Road and AlphaBay, the FBI’s J-CODE team brings together agents, analysts,
and professional staff with expertise in drugs, gangs, health care fraud, and
more, and our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners from across
the U.S. Government, to focus on disrupting the sale of drugs via the Darknet
and dismantling criminal enterprises that facilitate this trafficking.
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