A former interpreter for the United States military forces was sentenced to 30 years in jail for dealing fentanyl, which led to the death of a U.S. Marine.

Drugs paid for with cryptocurrencies

According to a Reuters report from Oct. 3, a former Iraqi U.S interpreter was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison without the possibility of parole for using the darknet to sell fentanyl.

Alaa Mohammed Allawi pleaded guilty to the drug charges and acknowledged using the now-defunct online darknet market Alpha Bay to sell a variety of hard drugs, such as oxycodone laced with fentanyl, while accepting payments in cryptocurrencies.

In 2017, Allawi’s drug exploits eventually led to the death of a Marine, who took one of his pills at a party while stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Special agent, Will Glaspy, said:

“From his use of the dark web, to his clandestine manufacturing of counterfeit pills laced with fentanyl, to his drug sales targeting college students, Allawi operated with little concern for the people in our communities.”

Crypto and illegal drug sales

Cointelegraph previously reported that according to Ciphertrace’s report on Anti-Money Laundering, almost all drugs sold on darknet marketplaces are purchased with cryptocurrencies. The darknet provides an environment that is attractive, lucrative and, for the most part, safe for illegal drug traffickers.

Professor Talis Putnins, co-author of an influential University of Technology Sydney report on cryptocurrency and illegal drugs, had this to say about cryptocurrencies: