Phadthin Sihavong Sentenced in $1M Pot Smuggling Ring

Phadthin Sihavong, a key operator in a $1 million marijuana trafficking and money laundering ring spanning Alamance, Guilford, and Wake Counties, has been sentenced for his role in shipping pounds of pot from California to North Carolina. Using the U.S. Postal Service, Sihavong shipped marijuana in overnight packages from Fresno under fake names — no signature required — funneling drugs into the Triad region while hiding the trail of cash.

Between February 23, 2012, and July 3, 2013, over $1 million in drug proceeds were funneled through a shell business called Akilles Motorsports, a front created solely to launder money. The account, registered under the fake business, masked the origins of illicit earnings while funding the ongoing operation. Authorities say the entire network relied on secrecy, deception, and interstate logistics to keep the flow of drugs and cash moving.

Six defendants in total were sentenced. Sihavong, whose exact sentence was cut off in the original filing, operated as the California link, coordinating shipments with co-conspirators on the ground. Nilanh Chanthaphavong, of Raleigh, NC, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute marijuana and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He was sentenced to 37 months in the Federal Bureau of Prisons, 3 years supervised release, and a $200.00 special assessment.

Davone Chanthaphavong, of Graham, NC, also pleaded guilty to the same charges and received 3 years’ probation and a $200.00 special assessment. Marcus Emmanuel Parrish, also of Graham, NC, got 15 months in prison, 3 years supervised release, and a $200.00 special assessment. Vanhasy Manhvong, formerly of Whitsett, NC, pleaded guilty only to conspiracy to commit money laundering and was sentenced to 12 months in prison, 2 years supervised release, and a $200.00 special assessment.

Eugene Ari McAdoo, of Whitsett, NC, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering and was sentenced on August 30, 2016, by Judge Thomas D. Schroeder to six months in prison, 3 years supervised release, a $100.00 special assessment, and a $2,500.00 fine. All six were brought down through a joint investigation targeting the financial infrastructure of the drug ring.

‘The laundering of illegal drug profits is as important and essential to drug traffickers as the very distribution of their illegal drugs,’ said Acting Special Agent-in-Charge Christopher J. Altemus, Jr. of IRS Criminal Investigation. U.S. Attorney Ripley Rand added, ‘We are pleased to have been part of the team to stop the influx of these drugs into North Carolina and to hold the offenders accountable.’ The DEA called the takedown a ‘victory’ for local communities now rid of a dangerous supply chain.