(WKBN) – A man who was operating on the dark web and selling hard drugs like fentanyl and ketamine pleaded guilty Friday in federal court.
According to court documents, Banmeet Singh, 40, of Haldwani, India, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
A sentencing date has not been set, but Singh has accepted an agreement of eight years in prison and he will have to forfeit $150 million.
Investigators say Singh operated a “global network” that touched all 50 states including Ohio. He sold several drugs including fentanyl, LSD, ecstasy, Xanax, Ketamine, and Tramadol on various dark websites using cryptocurrency. Singh then personally shipped or arranged the shipment of the drugs from Europe to the United States through U.S. mail or other shipping services.
From at least mid-2012 through July 2017, Singh controlled at least eight distribution cells within the United States including cells located in Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Maryland, New York, North Dakota, and Washington, among other locations.
People in distribution cells would get the drug shipments from overseas, repackage them and send them to states in the U.S. and to Canada, England, Ireland, Jamica, Scotland and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“DEA is proud to have worked with its law enforcement partners in the United States and the United Kingdom to dismantle this enterprise, protect the American people, and bring Singh to justice,” said Administrator Anne Milgram of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
In April 2019, Singh was arrested in London, and the United States secured his extradition in 2023.
