A California man has been sentenced to 78 months in prison for his role in a major pharmaceutical drugs conspiracy case in Nebraska.
Nicolas A. Decosta, 27, of California, was sentenced in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, on [undisclosed date] for conspiring to distribute pharmaceutical controlled substances.
According to the United States Attorney Steven Russell, Decosta was found guilty of conspiring to distribute pharmaceutical controlled substances, including Oxycodone and Hydrocodone.
The investigation, led by the United States Postal Inspection Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration, uncovered a large-scale dark net marketplace operation, where Decosta sold pharmaceutical controlled substances under the alias ‘norco_king’.
Over the course of the investigation, investigators made a series of controlled buys of pharmaceutical controlled substances from norco_king on the dark net using an undercover identity. Decosta accepted payment via Bitcoin and later Monero, both cryptocurrencies.
Decosta’s codefendant, Jamal Holdman, was also identified as a suspect after investigators reviewed surveillance video from the originating post offices in the vicinity of Desert Hot Springs, California.
Holdman was sentenced to imprisonment for a term of 68 months on April 12, 2023, for his role in the conspiracy.
As part of his sentence, Decosta will be required to complete a 3-year term of supervised release upon his release from prison. There is no parole in the federal system.
The investigation revealed that Holdman packaged and shipped the controlled substances, naming Decosta as the supplier of the drugs and dark net site vendor.
The case against Decosta highlights the ongoing threat of dark net marketplaces and the importance of law enforcement efforts to combat these operations.
This case is a stark reminder of the dangers of pharmaceutical controlled substances and the devastating impact they can have on individuals and communities.
Related Federal Cases
- Celso Carillo, Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl, Nebraska 2023 · California
- Aaron Cardinale, Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Nebraska 2022 · Idaho
- Nelson Nicholas Nunez-Acosta, Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl, Nebraska 2021 · New York
- Lawrence Henderson, Possession with Intent to Distribute, Nebraska 2018 · New York
- Felton Fitzgerald, Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine, California 2022 · South Dakota
Key Facts
- State: Nebraska
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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