A U.S. court has convicted Oluwole Adegboruwa, a 54-year-old Nigerian man based in the U.S., and his accomplice, Enrique Isong, 49, for orchestrating a multi-million dollar drug trafficking operation on the dark web.
The court sentenced the two men to a combined total of 40 years in prison, as announced in a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah on Friday.
Adegboruwa received a 30-year prison sentence and was also ordered to serve life on supervised release, in addition to forfeiting over $20 million—a sum that ranks among the largest forfeitures in the history of the District of Utah’s U.S. Attorney’s Office.
This forfeiture is intended to hold Adegboruwa financially accountable for his crimes.
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The sentencing, handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Jill N. Parish, follows a jury’s May 2024 verdict that found Adegboruwa and Isong guilty of multiple federal charges, including conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and money laundering.
Isong was sentenced on October 23, 2024, to 10 years in prison, along with three years of supervised release.
Court documents and evidence presented during the trial revealed that, from October 2016 to May 2019, Adegboruwa sold more than 300,000 oxycodone pills through dark web marketplaces to customers across the U.S.
The jury concluded that Adegboruwa ran a continuing criminal enterprise that generated approximately $9.1 million in drug profits.
Adegboruwa was found to be the leader of the operation, overseeing various members who handled tasks such as sourcing high-quality pills, packaging, and shipping them to customers.
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Additionally, Adegboruwa controlled sales on dark web platforms and managed the financial accounts, including cryptocurrency accounts that facilitated the enterprise’s revenue.
He admitted to initiating the illegal online drug operation himself.
“Protecting the community from illicit drugs and dismantling drug trafficking operations is a priority for my office and our law enforcement partners,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah. “We will continue to prosecute and seek justice for these crimes.”
“This case further demonstrates that true anonymity on the dark web is a myth,” said U.S. Postal Inspection Services State Phoenix Division Inspector in Charge Glen Henderson. “U.S. Postal Inspectors remain steadfast in their commitment to dismantling drug trafficking operations, ensuring the safety of USPS customers and employees alike.”
“Adegboruwa’s criminal drug enterprise was complex, sophisticated, and generated millions of dollars in profits concealed in cryptocurrency transactions. This sentencing is a stark reminder that the DEA is relentless in the pursuit of justice, and that drug traffickers cannot hide their illicit activities even in the secretive expanses of the dark web,” said DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen.
“Money laundering continues to be a top investigative priority for IRS-CI,” said Special Agent in Charge Carissa Messick for IRS Criminal Investigation’s Phoenix Field Office. “The forfeiture amount in this case alone highlights the magnitude of the investigation conducted by IRS-CI special agents, its impact on our community, and IRS-CI’s relentless commitment to uncovering illegal schemes by following the money.”
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) collaboratively investigated the case.
The prosecution was handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Thaddeus J. May, Jennifer E. Gully, and Stewart M. Young from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.
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