FBI: National dark web drug ring called PillCosby sent hundreds of fentanyl pills to Ohio

After an investigation by FBI agents in Cincinnati, five people have been indicted in a "prolific" drug ring that officials say moved $2.8 million through drug trafficking and money laundering.

The federal indictment states the group began forming as early as 2013 and dealt drugs in dark web markets places with names like Silk Road, Empire, Dream, Sleep and Nightmare.

The group operated under the names PillCosby and Slanggang.

Those indicted include: Khlari Sirotkin, 36, of Colorado; Kelly Stephens, 32, of Colorado; Sean Deaver, 36, of Nevada; Abby Jones, 37, of Nevada; and Sasha Sirotkin, 32, of California.

Several members of the group had a number of nicknames, agents said. Khlari Sirotkin went by Killa B. Stephens was called Killa Kells and oxxxymoron. Deaver went by Interstatefatz or just Fatz. Jones also adopted the name Abby Fatz.

Khlari Sirotkin owns a marijuana farm in Pueblo, Colorado, according to federal documents. The FBI has not said how or if Khlari Sirotkin and Sasha Sirotkin are related.

Each of the five members of the group faces 20 federal drug charges and one charge of money laundering.

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Agents said the group had bases of operation in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and multiple locations in Colorado.

The FBI estimates the group sold 33.9 kilograms of fentanyl in five months in 2019.

Between April 2018 and Sept. 2019, undercover FBI agents order at least 587 fentanyl pills from the group in 15 separate orders that were all sent to southern Ohio, according to the indictment.

The indictment says the group accepting BitCoin as payment and used a complicated money laundering scheme to transfer the BitCoin into other cryptocurrencies. This was done in an effort to keep drug profits from being traced to back them.

The indictment state Deaver and Khlari Sirotkin would discuss cryptocurrency tactics. During a conversation about a YouTube video on transaction analysis, Khalari Sirotkin allegedly told Deaver: “This is why it’s so important to use a Tumblr and proper operational security.”

A tumbler is a service that – for a fee – mixes identifiable cryptocurrencies with others to hide the source or owner of a fund.

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In electronic communications, Khlari Sirotkin said he was making $20,000 a month, according to the indictment.

The FBI reported on a spreadsheet that allegedly belonged to Deaver that show he made $21,572 in net profit between Jan. 23 and Feb. 8 in 2019.

“These aren’t street corner drug pushers – this conspiracy allegedly infiltrated our communities and sold fentanyl in the dank depths of the internet and sent it to mailboxes and doorsteps,” Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said. “Ohioans are safer, thanks to the work of our narcotics agents and federal partners who untangle webs of deception and death.”

If convicted on all charges, each defendant could face dozens of years in prison. Each of the 21 charges against them is punishable by at least 10 years in prison.

Deaver and Khlari Sirotkin have been arrested and are being held at the Butler County Jail awaiting trial. It is unclear if the other suspects are in custody.

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