Arrests Made in Dark Web Fentanyl and Cocaine Trafficking Case: DOJ

Four Men Arrested for Selling Fentanyl and Cocaine on Dark Web

The United States Department of Justice has announced the arrest of four men for allegedly selling fentanyl pills and cocaine on the dark web. The suspects, 21-year-old Alejandro Soto and 21-year-old Austin Blanco from Burbank, along with 23-year-old Craig Rushton and 20-year-old Christian McKibben from Las Vegas, have been charged with multiple counts related to the distribution of fentanyl and cocaine.

The investigation, which began in April of 2021, revealed that the four men conspired with two other individuals to traffic fentanyl and cocaine. The co-conspirators, Brian McDonald from Van Nuys and Ciara Clutario from Burbank, allegedly created vendor profiles on darknet marketplaces to sell illegal narcotics in exchange for cryptocurrency.

McDonald and Clutario were charged last year, and their trials are set to begin on Aug. 6. The DOJ alleges that Soto, Blanco, McKibben, and Rushton were directed by McDonald and others to package and ship the drugs sold on the dark web. The defendants reportedly operated out of McKibben and Rushton’s home in Burbank, where they packaged and shipped hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of narcotics to buyers across the country.

If convicted, the four men face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, with a statutory maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The DOJ’s crackdown on dark web drug trafficking serves as a warning to those involved in illegal activities online.

Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.