SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, May 28, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A federal jury in Salt Lake City has found two foreign nationals guilty of drug crimes involving the sale and distribution of Oxycodone on the Dark Web.
The multi-year, multi-million dollar business shipped narcotics across the nation, according to a statement released by the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Utah.
The men found guilty are Oluwole Adegboruwa, 54, of Las Vegas, and Enrique Isong, 49, of Los Angeles. During the conspiracies, Adegboruwa and Isong used the U.S. Mail and interstate commerce to commit their crimes, which generated more than $8 million in criminal proceeds.
According to evidence presented at trial, from October 2016 through May 2019, Adegboruwa sold more than 300,000 oxycodone pills to customers on dark web marketplaces, including Hansa, Dream Market, Wall Street Market, and Alphabay (which have since been dismantled by law enforcement). Customers paid Adegboruwa, who operated his vendor pages as “King Odua” and “Alagbada726,” with cryptocurrency, including Bitcoin and Ethereum, which he later sold for traditional currency.
Adegboruwa testified at trial and admitted that he was the only one who had access to his vendor pages on the dark web markets to process orders from customers. He then directed others in Las Vegas and in Los Angeles to package and ship the pills around the United States.
Jurors convicted Adegboruwa under what is commonly referred to as the “kingpin statute” for organizing a continuing criminal enterprise and directing at least five others in the drug distribution conspiracy.
At trial, the jury also heard testimony from co-defendants who have already pleaded guilty.
“They described the ways in which Adegboruwa directed them to sort, package, and ship oxycodone pills to minimize damage and detection,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office statement says. “The jury also heard from a Utah customer who discussed the process of ordering from Adegboruwa’s dark web vendor pages and how the ordered products arrived at his home via U.S. Postal Service Priority Mail.”
The verdict against Adegboruwa requires he forfeit $380,395.64 in cash, $15,500 in lieu of a 2017 Dodge Charger, and 26 money orders totaling $9,400. The jury also found that Adegboruwa had to forfeit cryptocurrency now valued at more than $15 million.
Adegboruwa and Isong are scheduled for sentencing in August 2024 at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.
