Pennsylvania man pleads guilty to selling mass quantities of counterfeit narcotics online
WASHINGTON, D.C. (KDKA) -- An Aliquippa man has pleaded guilty to his role in selling a variety of counterfeit narcotics, including large amounts of fentanyl, on the online site Tor2Door, a dark net website marketplace.
Jacob Blair, 26, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. before U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson to a charge of conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl and 50 grams of methamphetamine, and to a charge of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Blair also pleaded guilty to a charge, originally filed in western Pennsylvania, of distributing 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.
He also admitted to mass-marketing the narcotics through an interactive computer service.
According to court documents, from Aug. 1, 2022, through Feb. 24, 2023, Blair and a co-defendant operated vendor accounts on various dark net marketplaces. While on Tor2Door, Blair and his co-defendant advertised their controlled substances using the monikers "YVS" and "YVendor Supplier," which they described as "a syndicate of professionals that specialize in making the best products the markets have to offer," the release added.
Blair manufactured and obtained counterfeit Oxycodone, Adderall, and Xanax pills while selling the substances on Tor2Door and four other marketplaces while accepting Bitcoin or Monero cryptocurrencies.
Blair and his co-conspirator shipped counterfeit Oxycodone containing fentanyl and metonitazene, a Schedule II and Schedule I drug, respectively, to the District of Columbia on at least six occasions. Counterfeit Xanax pills were also shipped to the District of Columbia.
On Feb. 22, 2023, law enforcement searched Blair's residence in Aliquippa in addition to other locations. During the search, agents recovered 10 firearms, over 20,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills that contained fentanyl, an industrial pill press machine, and industrial mixing equipment, according to the release.
Blair's sentencing is pending. He is facing a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison.
