A resident of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, admitted he bought thousands of Xanax pills from the dark web with the intention of selling the drugs.
He expected more than $10,000 of profits from the trade, around $1.50 per pill.
The defendant, James Robert Czachowski, has not been convicted yet, but he is currently facing up to 30 years in prison for his charges.
Xanax Shipped over the Dark Web
On April 11, 2018, the authorities got involved in the case when a package with a return address from the United Kingdom arrived addressed to Czachowski.
According to U.S. Attorney Scott Brady, border search authority agents were permitted to open the parcel.
Inside the shipment, the authorities found thousands of pills that resembled Xanax.
Xanax, the trade name for the drug Alprazolam, is commonly used for anti-anxiety purposes with a six-hour duration of action.
But it has the drawback of being highly addictive and extremely dangerous when mixed with alcoholic beverages.
The drug is increasingly popular as a hot item of trade on the dark web.
Evidence Presented by Investigators
Once the agents revealed the content of the package, they made a so-called "controlled delivery."
The internationally shipped parcel arrived at the house of the defendant's father. The man, unaware of the package's contents, signed for it.
When the father left his residence, along with the package he has not previously opened, the investigators stopped him.
In the conversation with officers, Czachowski's father revealed he planned to deliver the package to his son.
While the agents talked to the father, Czachowski called him asking if everything was okay, and whether he had already left or not.
The law enforcement officers then paid a visit to Czachowski's residence.
According to a news release from the Department of Justice, he confessed he bought the narcotics from the dark web over approximately one year and paid a total of $4,200 for all the 10,000 Xanax bars.
he prosecutors revealed Czachowski admitted to purchasing the pills as well as the intent to sell them for profit.
Czachowski gave the authorities permission to search his residence. Following this inspection, Czachowski admitted he possessed a Springfield XD 9mm revolver, a .380 9mm revolver and several rounds of ammunition.
Because of a previous felony conviction, Czachowski was forbidden to have any firearm or ammunition in his possession. On this count, the defendant also pleaded guilty.
Czachowski is scheduled to be sentenced on July 22 this year.
Brady said Czachowski is facing up to 30 years behind bars and a fine of maximum $2 million,
