Craig Warme, Fentanyl Trafficking, Michigan 2022

A New Hampshire man will spend the next 13 years in prison for shipping kilos of fentanyl across the country, including to Grand Rapids.

Craig Warme, 24, of New Hampshire was sentenced to 156 months in the Bureau of Prisons after he pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Jane M. Beckering also ordered that when Warme is released from prison, he will be on supervised release for three years.

“Foolishly, Mr. Warme thought he could illegally operate an online store on the dark web trafficking poison across our state and country,” said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. “My office will hold traffickers peddling drugs accountable.”

Warme operated an online store on the dark web under the username “DopeKingUSA” from June 2022 through December 2022. He advertised various forms of heroin for sale on the site and mailed drug orders across the country, including to several customers and undercover investigators in Grand Rapids, using the United States Postal Service.

Investigators determined that the drugs that Warme provided were actually fentanyl, not heroin, as advertised. Warme received a total of $417,355 in gross sales in the seven months his dark web store was operational. The Court found that he was responsible for trafficking more than 10 kilograms of fentanyl during that time.

“Postal inspectors work every day to prevent the flow of illicit drugs through the U.S. mail and to ensure the safety and security of the American people,” said Inspector in Charge Rodney Hopkins of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Detroit Division. “This investigation and resulting sentence imposed today on Craig Warme is a testament to the commitment postal inspectors and our law enforcement partners have to identifying and seeking prosecution of individuals who are deliberately distributing deadly fentanyl into our communities.”

This case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration, with assistance from the Michigan State Police Metropolitan Enforcement Team and the New Hampshire State Police.

Warme’s prison sentence and supervised release will begin immediately.

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