Utah Man Charged with Fentanyl Trafficking
Aaron Michael Shamo, a Utah resident, has been charged with fentanyl trafficking following a grand jury indictment.
The indictment, returned in Salt Lake City, alleges that Shamo intentionally and knowingly distributed a substance containing fentanyl, resulting in the death of a person identified as R.K. in the indictment. The incident occurred on June 13, 2016.
Shamo is charged with one count of aiding and abetting the distribution of a controlled substance (fentanyl) resulting in death, as well as multiple counts of continuing criminal enterprise, aiding and abetting the importation of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, manufacture of a controlled substance, and adulteration of drugs while held for sale. He is also charged with aiding and abetting the use of the U.S. mail in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, conspiracy to commit money laundering, money laundering promotion and concealment, and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activities.
The indictment alleges that Shamo directed an international drug trafficking organization that imported fentanyl and alprazolam from China and manufactured controlled substances, including fake oxycodone pills made with fentanyl and counterfeit Xanax tablets. The organization distributed these controlled substances to other individuals for distribution throughout the United States and elsewhere using their storefront, PHARMA-MASTER, on the Dark Net marketplace AlphaBay and through the U.S. mail.
According to a complaint filed in the case, when law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Shamo’s house in November 2016, they found approximately 70,000 pills that had the appearance of oxycodone and more than 25,000 pills that appeared to be alprazolam. The drug trafficking organization distributed more than 800,000 pills.
Crandall, a 32-year-old man from Brisbane, Australia, pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl, conspiracy to distribute alprazolam, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He admitted to importing and distributing controlled substances in Utah and elsewhere, selling them on dark web marketplaces, and training co-conspirators to assume his roles in the organization.
Key Facts
- State: Utah
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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