Indian Man Jailed For 5 Years For Selling Drugs In US

Indian man Banmeet Singh was selling controlled substances to various locations across the world and all 50 states in the United States.

The substances would be repackaged and sold to all 50 states in the US, as well as, Canada, England, Ireland, Jamaica, Scotland, and the US Virgin Islands.

Source : Representational Image/Getty

An Indian man has been sentenced to five years in prison for selling controlled substances using the dark web, he was also ordered to forfeit about USD 150 million. According to PTI, Banmeet Singh, 40, who hails from Uttrakhand's Haldwani was arrested in London in April 2019 following the request by the United States, he was then extradited to the US in March 2023.

Singh pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to commit money laundering in January.

Nicole M Argentieri, the acting Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division at the time said, that the Justice Department will hold criminals who violate the US law accountable no matter how they conceal their activity, India Today reported.

“Together with our international partners, we will continue to find criminals lurking in the darkness and bring their crimes to light”, Argentieri added.

Singh's Durg Operation 

He used dark web marketplaces, such as Silk Road, Alpha Bay, Hansa, and others to sell controlled substances, including fentanyl, LSD, ecstasy, Xanax, ketamine, and tramadol. 

He was paid using cryptocurrency by his customers, and Singh would personally ship the drugs. He also arranged the shipment of the drugs from Europe to the US through mail or other shipping services. In order to ship to his customers, from mid-2012 to July 2017, Singh controlled at least eight distribution cells within the US including Ohio, Florida, North Carolina, Maryland, New York, North Dakota, and Washington, among other locations, the Department of Justice said on Friday in a press release. 

People responsible in these cells would re-package the drugs once they received them and send them to all 50 states in the US and, Canada, England, Ireland, Jamaica, Scotland, and the US Virgin Islands, the release said reports PTI.

Singh’s organisation moved hundreds of kilograms of controlled substances throughout the country and established a multimillion-dollar drug enterprise which laundered his drug proceeds from cryptocurrency accounts, which was ultimately worth approximately $150 million. 

As per the release, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs provided significant assistance in securing the arrest and extradition of Singh from the United Kingdom.