A U.S. court has convicted Nigerian-born, U.S.-based Oluwole Adegboruwa, 54, and his accomplice Enrique Isong, 49, for orchestrating a multi-million dollar dark web drug trafficking operation. The court sentenced them to a combined total of 40 years in prison.
The conviction was announced in a statement released by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah on Friday. Adegboruwa received a 30-year prison sentence, along with a lifetime supervised release and the forfeiture of over $20 million—a forfeiture that ranks among the largest in the history of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.
The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Jill N. Parish, followed a May 2024 jury conviction, which found Adegboruwa and Isong guilty of several federal offenses, including conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and money laundering.
Isong was sentenced on October 23, 2024, to 10 years in prison, with an additional three years of supervised release.
Court documents and trial evidence revealed that between October 2016 and May 2019, Adegboruwa sold more than 300,000 oxycodone pills on dark web platforms to customers across the United States. The jury determined that Adegboruwa ran a criminal enterprise that generated approximately $9.1 million in drug proceeds.
Adegboruwa was found to be in full control of the operation, which involved multiple individuals carrying out various roles, such as sourcing and packaging the pills, as well as shipping them to buyers. Adegboruwa admitted during the trial that he managed the sales on the dark web markets and controlled the financial accounts, including cryptocurrency accounts that handled most of the enterprise’s revenue. He also acknowledged that he initiated the operation.
“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. “We will continue to prosecute and seek justice for these crimes.”
U.S. Postal Inspection Services State Phoenix Division Inspector in Charge Glen Henderson emphasized, “This case further demonstrates that true anonymity on the dark web is a myth. U.S. Postal Inspectors remain steadfast in dismantling drug trafficking operations and ensuring the safety of USPS customers and employees.”
DEA Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Pullen stated, “Adegboruwa’s criminal drug enterprise was sophisticated and concealed in cryptocurrency transactions. This sentencing underscores the DEA’s commitment to pursuing justice and dismantling drug trafficking, even in the shadows of the dark web.”
IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent in Charge Carissa Messick added, “Money laundering continues to be a top priority for IRS-CI. The large forfeiture amount in this case highlights the magnitude of the investigation and our commitment to uncovering illegal schemes by following the money.”
The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI). It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thaddeus J. May, Jennifer E. Gully, and Stewart M. Young from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.