Judge George H. Wu sentenced a Santa Clarita man arrested more than five years ago to eight years in federal prison Thursday for using the “darknet” to sell methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine, among other drugs.
Jerrell Eugene Anderson, 34, pleaded guilty on June 10 to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute heroin, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
“From at least July 2018 to March 2019, Anderson conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine that they sold on darknet marketplaces,” according to a Department of Justice news release Thursday. “Specifically, Anderson advertised and sold drugs to customers on the darknet marketplaces Dream and Wall Street Market, using monikers such as ‘Drugpharmacist’ and ‘rickandmortyshop.’”
Ciaran McEvoy, spokesman for the DOJ’s Los Angeles office, said in a brief phone interview Thursday that COVID-19 and counsel changes for the defendants were factors that contributed to the time it took to resolve the case.
Anderson and his accomplices stored drugs in stash houses throughout the San Fernando Valley that they packed in stuffed animals to conceal for shipment throughout the Los Angeles area, according to the DOJ. They were initially identified as Lancaster residents.
“For example, in August 2018, Anderson and a co-conspirator knowingly distributed heroin to a victim in Knoxville, Tennessee, whose death resulted from using the heroin,” according to the statement.
Anderson also was originally charged with illegally possessing a semiautomatic pistol in furtherance of his drug dealing. The maximum exposure to prison for the original allegations against Anderson was a potential sentence of life, according to the DOJ.
The other defendants in this case: Christopher Canion Von Holton, 37, of Woodland Hills; Kenneth Lashawn Hadley, 37, of Las Vegas; Adan Sepulveda, 31, of Palmdale; and Jackie Walter Burns, 26, of Lancaster, each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and have been sentenced.
