A Pennsylvania man has been accused with operating a drug trafficking business on the dark web and using cryptocurrencies to launder counterfeit proceeds in a Washington court.
The 25-year-old Jacob Blair is also accused of possessing fentanyl and methamphetamine in Pennsylvania, where he resides, in addition to conspiracy to distribute drugs and money laundering.
Blair was one of several conspirators who ran a storefront known as “YVendorSupplier” or “ColorShifting,” according to an indictment unsealed in court on Tuesday. The storefront is said to have been operated by Blair and others using Tor2Door, a dark web hosting service that demands customers hide their identities and make payments in cryptocurrencies.
The website includes “Fraud,” “Drugs & Chemicals,” “Counterfeit Goods,” and “Jewels & Gold” among the categories of products and services it lists. The website lists all kinds of substances under “Drugs & Chemicals,” including painkillers, marijuana, and benzos.
Even so, there are some things the website won’t publish, such fentanyl, child porn, prostitution, murder for hire, and prostitution.
The storefront for YVendorSupplier bragged that their goods were “nothing but the greatest” and that the business placed a premium on “quality, consistency, stealth, and quickness.”
They promoted oxycodone, Xanax, and adderall, all of which are prescription drugs with high production standards. About 900 purchases have been monitored by investigators on Tor2Door and comparable marketplaces since May 2022.
But, the “oxycodone” and “Xanax” and “Adderall” they marketed were actually methamphetamine or fentanyl and nothing more.
Prosecutors assert that after receiving payment for the illegal and fake pharmaceuticals, Blair and others moved cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Monero, through a network of wallets and exchanges in an effort to hide the source of the funds.
Both in Pennsylvania and Washington, Blair will now defend against those allegations.