⏱ 2 min read
Leeladhar H. Tandel, a 44-year-old from Mobile, Alabama, has pleaded guilty to his role in a massive international drug trafficking ring that sold pharmaceuticals like Tapentadol, Alprazolam, and Zolpidem to customers across the US. The ring operated from July 2024 to March 2025, using websites like MEDDZONLINE.COM and PHARMACYSTORESONLINE.com to take orders, and then shipping bulk packages of drugs via international mail to re-shippers in the US. Tandel was one of these re-shippers, and his operation was uncovered by the DEA Buffalo District Office in June 2024.
The DEA made an undercover purchase of 60 Zolpidem pills from PHARMACYSTORESONLINE.com in June 2024, and later recovered 40 packages that had been mailed out by Tandel in May 2025. These packages contained thousands of suspected Tramadol, Zolpidem, Alprazolam, and Tapentadol pills, with labels showing that they were destined for customers all over the country.
Tandel’s guilty plea is part of a larger case being worked on by the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), and he now faces up to 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine. The case highlights the ongoing problem of international drug trafficking rings using the internet to sell pharmaceuticals to customers in the US.
The investigation and prosecution of Tandel’s case demonstrate the efforts of law enforcement agencies like the DEA and HSTF to disrupt and dismantle these types of drug trafficking operations. The use of undercover purchases and package recovery allowed the DEA to gather evidence and build a case against Tandel and the larger drug trafficking ring.
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Drug Trafficking
- Defendant: Alabama
- Location: NY
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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