Two residents from Tulsa, Oklahoma, have been sentenced for their involvement in selling illegal drugs on the darknet, specifically through crypto transactions. The drugs were smuggled in from China.
The main defendant, Aaron Michael Thomas aged 42, was sentenced by U. S. District Judge for a series of charges, including selling mislabeled drugs, running a drug operation, and having child pornography. Thomas was sentenced to 78 months in prison, plus 10 years of supervised release.
In 2022, law enforcement, including the FDA and the U. S. Postal Inspection Service, started investigating drug sellers on the darknet. These sellers were offering prescription drugs without needing a prescription, and the buyers paid using crypto. The drugs were also labeled incorrectly, with no safety warnings, making them dangerous.
The investigation revealed that Thomas and his partner, Darren Doil Means were sending these drugs from their home in Tulsa. Undercover agents bought drugs from them three times. In October 2023, agents raided their home and found over 270 pounds of drugs, including pregabalin and xylazine, which are often used in fake prescription pills.
The men had set up a room in their house to package the drugs and had tools to make drug capsules. The investigation showed that Thomas was buying the drugs from suppliers in China and trying to hide the shipments from U. S. Customs. They also found disturbing images of child exploitation on his devices.
Means, 59, admitted to his role in the operation and was sentenced in January 2025 to three years of probation.