U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins | U.S. Department of Justice
Oluwole Adegboruwa, a 54-year-old resident of Las Vegas, Nevada, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role as the mastermind behind a dark web drug trafficking operation. The sentence also includes supervised release for life and the forfeiture of over $20 million. This forfeiture is one of the largest in the history of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.
U.S. District Court Judge Jill N. Parish imposed the sentence following a jury's conviction of Adegboruwa and his co-defendant Enrique Isong, 49, from Los Angeles, California. Both were found guilty in May 2024 on charges including conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and money laundering. Isong received a ten-year prison sentence with three years of supervised release on October 23, 2024.
Evidence presented during the trial revealed that between October 2016 and May 2019, Adegboruwa sold over 300,000 oxycodone pills via dark web marketplaces across the United States. His criminal enterprise reportedly generated approximately $9,112,471 in drug proceeds. The jury determined that Adegboruwa was in charge of this illicit operation where members had specific roles such as sourcing pharmacy-grade pills or handling packaging and shipping.
Adegboruwa admitted during trial that he controlled sales on dark web markets and managed monetary accounts including cryptocurrency accounts which held most profits. He also acknowledged initiating his online drug sales venture.
U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins stated: “Protecting the community from illicit drugs and dismantling drug trafficking operations is a priority for my office and our law enforcement partners.” Glen Henderson from U.S. Postal Inspection Services emphasized: “This case further demonstrates that true anonymity on the dark web is a myth.”
DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division Special Agent Jonathan Pullen remarked: “Adegboruwa's criminal drug enterprise was complex... This sentencing is a stark reminder that...drug traffickers cannot hide their illicit activities even in...the dark web.” Carissa Messick from IRS Criminal Investigation noted: “The forfeiture amount...highlights...IRS-CI’s relentless commitment to uncovering illegal schemes by following the money.”
The investigation was conducted by USPIS, DEA, and IRS-CI with prosecution led by Assistant United States Attorneys Thaddeus J. May, Jennifer E. Gully, and Stewart M. Young.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States through a coordinated multi-agency approach.
