A Tulsa man pleaded guilty Wednesday to smuggling ecstasy into the United States from a German supplier in December 2018, announced U.S. Attorney Trent Shores.
Jeremy Daniel Singer, 36, stated in a signed plea agreement that he placed an order for 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, commonly known as “MDMA" or ecstasy, through an encrypted site on the “dark web" and had it shipped to his Tulsa home under a pseudonym. Singer stated that he planned to sell the ecstasy for profit. Customs and Border Protection officials intercepted the package containing the pills when it entered the United States. Undercover agents with Homeland Security Investigations, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, and the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office later delivered the package to Singer’s home in Tulsa and arrested Singer when he signed for the package.
While on bond awaiting a hearing on state drug charges relating to the ecstasy shipment, Singer agreed to appear in federal court on March 12 on federal drug charges and the smuggling charge. Instead of appearing in court, Singer fled the state. Authorities searched for Singer for nearly a month, when, on April 9, authorities in Johnson County Wyoming attempted to stop Singer’s vehicle. Singer led them on an off-road chase before abandoning his vehicle and disappearing into nearby fields. He was found the next day and attempted to elude authorities on a bulldozer he had stolen, before he was finally arrested.
“The ‘dark web’ is a one-stop shop for goods and services not found in legitimate streams of commerce. Singer used the ‘dark web’ to illegally purchase and smuggle ecstasy into the United States," said U.S. Attorney Shores. “As Mr. Singer now knows, our collaborative law enforcement network in northeastern Oklahoma is a highly effective partnership. We will enforce our nation’s drug laws to protect Oklahomans from Darknet purchases."
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Duncombe is prosecuting the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
