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AMCostaRica© 
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 Pate illegally purchased narcotics, including OxyContin and morphine pills, primarily from Fung, a pharmacist in Costa Rica. - A.M. Costa Rica wire services photo |
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 Published Wednesday, August 5, 2020 A
U.S. resident and a Costa Rican
charged with narcotics, money laundering in the U.S. By the A.M. Costa Rica staff and wire services A U.S. citizen resident in Costa Rica surnamed Pate, 44, and a Costa Rican surnamed Fung- Hou, 38, were indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia for their illegal sales of opioids on the darknet, a the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Columbia said on Tuesday. According to the Attorney’s statement, they’re indictment and charged for seven counts of Conspiring with Persons to Distribute Controlled Substances, Distribution of Controlled Substances, Conspiring with Persons to Import Controlled Substances, Conspiring to Launder Money, and Laundering of Monetary Instruments. “These charges are a warning to drug traffickers worldwide that neither the shroud of the darknet or of virtual currency can hide their illegal activities from the vigilance of U.S. law enforcement,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin. “We are firmly committed to combating the problem of opioid abuse and breaking through sophisticated cyber-enabled barriers employed by criminals to hide their activities.” According to the indictment, Pate illegally purchased narcotics, including OxyContin and morphine pills, primarily from Fung, a pharmacist in Costa Rica. Pate would launder payments to Fung to purchase narcotics. Pate then sold these narcotics on numerous darknet markets, including Silk Road and AlphaBay, in exchange for bitcoin. Pate utilized various online monikers including “buyers club” on darknet markets, online forums and bitcoin exchanges. Pate advertised that he was selling the “old formula” of OxyContin, which did not contain tamper-resistant features such as a crush-proof feature that prevented a user from inhaling or injecting the pills after pulverizing them. The indictment further alleges that Pate’s darknet sales involved him sending bulk shipments of narcotics in pill form from Costa Rica, often concealed in tourist souvenirs such as maracas, to co-conspirator distributors in the United States. Pate would then send the distributors a list of customer orders, which included the customer's names, their shipping address and the quantity of pills they purchased. The distributors created smaller packages of pills, which they then mailed to the customer. Once the shipments were received by the customer, the darknet market would release funds in bitcoin, which were held in escrow until the transaction was completed, into Pate’s account on the darknet market. Customers paid Pate over 23,903 bitcoin for these darknet market sales. The co-conspirators also laundered payments in the form of bitcoin and international wire transfers. "The charges in the pleadings are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law," said the U.S. Attorney’s Office in its statement. IRS-CI Cyber Crimes Unit (Washington, D.C.), DEA (Baltimore, Maryland), and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigated this case. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Costa Rican authorities provided assistance. ---------------------------- What should U.S. authorities do to stop illegal drug trafficking? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com |
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