Arden McCann, a 37-year-old individual from Quebec, Canada, has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison. This comes as a result of his involvement in operating an international narcotics distribution ring on the dark web. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Georgia, made this announcement today.
Court documents reveal that McCann was apprehended in October 2015 by Laval (Quebec) police. He was identified as the individual responsible for selling drugs on the dark web under the alias “DRXanax,” as stated by the office.
Canadian authorities have seized a significant number of counterfeit Xanax pills, totaling about two million. In addition, they have also confiscated five pill presses, alprazolam powder, 3,000 MDMA pills, over $200,000 in cash, 15 firearms, ballistic vests, and drug ledgers. This information was provided by the U.S. attorney’s office as part of their investigation.
McCann and his associates obtained alprazolam from China, transformed it into fake Xanax tablets, and distributed them to customers throughout the United States, according to the drug ledgers.
McCann, despite being arrested, continued to sell narcotics, including fentanyl analogues, on the dark web, according to the department.
According to the U.S. attorney’s office, a recent investigation conducted by U.S. law enforcement uncovered that McCann had been operating multiple vendor pages on over 10 dark web marketplaces from November 2015 to February 2020.
According to the office, McCann, using different aliases, emerged as one of the top drug vendors on the dark web between 2015 and 2020. The investigation revealed that his operations spanned across 49 states, resulting in revenue exceeding $10 million.
“Counterfeit pill production and distribution continues to pose a grave threat to public safety, especially when trafficked anonymously using dark web marketplaces,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr.
“Due to the diligent investigative efforts of our state, federal, and foreign law enforcement partners, McCann’s illegal drug operation has been dismantled.”