A brazen operation selling counterfeit Xanax on the dark web has been brought to a screeching halt. John Cruz, 29, of Rochester, New York, has been indicted in federal court in St. Louis and accused of selling the fake pills to unsuspecting customers.
According to the indictment, Cruz used cryptocurrency to buy bulk quantities of counterfeit generic alprazolam, an anti-anxiety drug, from another person on the dark web. This person, who has sold millions of the pills, manufactured the pills using active drug ingredients from China and equipment that mimicked the markings used on pills produced by manufacturers licensed and approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The pills were delivered to Cruz in Rochester, New York, and he then redistributed them to various customers, the indictment alleges.
The charge carries a punishment of up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.
Cruz was arrested on March 15 and appeared in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on Friday by Zoom. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Ware and Kyle Bateman are prosecuting the case.
The indictment is merely an accusation, and Cruz is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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Key Facts
- State: Missouri
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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