OlympusXans Sentenced to Federal Prison for Drug Distribution

A darkweb drug trafficker from Alabama was sentenced to more than ten years in prison for selling fentanyl, meth, cocaine, and Xanax on the darkweb. The vendor, known as OlympusXans, allegedly sold more than 80,000 counterfeit Xanax pills.

The Sentencing Announcement

BIRMINGHAM - A Madison man who used the internet’s dark markets in an online drug trafficking conspiracy was sentenced on Wednesday, to more than a decade in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town, U.S. Postal Inspection Service Inspector in Charge Adrian Gonzalez and DEA Associate Special Agent in Charge Brad Byerley.

U.S. District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala sentenced Joseph William Davis, 26, to 126 months in prison for distributing, possessing with intent to distribute and conspiring to distribute or to possess with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, more than 40 grams of fentanyl, 2.81 grams of cocaine, and more than 80,000 units of Alprazolam.

“Federal law enforcement will continue to shine a spotlight on drug dealers operating in the darkest corners of the internet,” Town said. “Federal prison beds await them all.”

“I commend the hard work and countless hours put forth by all of the law enforcement agencies involved,” Gonzalez said. “Together we will continue to be vigilant in identifying and working to prosecute those who illegally utilize the mail while keeping the safety of the American public and our Postal Service employees at the forefront.”

Davis, also known on the internet’s dark markets as OlympusXans, or OX, pled guilty in August to conspiracy to traffic drugs, including fentanyl and methamphetamine, and to possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking. Davis used encrypted internet chats to arrange smuggled shipments of illegal drugs, which he arranged to be delivered via U.S. Mail to addresses in Madison County.

U.S. Postal Inspectors, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Huntsville-Madison County STAC, and the Cullman County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Keim prosecuted.

Source: USAO-NDAL

The Guilty Plea

August 14, 2018

BIRMINGHAM – A Madison man known on the internet’s dark markets as OlympusXans, or OX, pled guilty today in federal court to conspiracy to traffic drugs, including fentanyl, and to possessing firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking, announced U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town and U.S. Postal Inspection Service Inspector in Charge Adrian Gonzalez.

JOSEPH WILLIAM DAVIS, 25, entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Madeline Hughes Haikala. A federal grand jury indicted Davis on the drug-trafficking and firearms charges in May. According to the indictment, Davis conspired in 2016 and 2017 to traffic methamphetamine, Alprazolam and fentanyl in Madison and Cullman counties. He is scheduled for sentencing Dec. 19.

“Fentanyl overdose deaths continue to soar in the United States while drug traffickers hide behind their computers, ordering up potent synthetic opioids and other drugs from the darkest corners of the internet,” Town said. “The Postal Inspection Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office know how to unmask these criminals and send them to federal prison without the refuge of parole.”

“Dangerous life-threatening drugs have no place in the U.S. Mail,” Gonzalez said. “This case should serve as a deterrent by reminding criminals that postal inspectors and their law enforcement partners continuously strive to keep the U.S. Mail safe.”

Davis acknowledged in his guilty plea that he used encrypted internet chats to arrange smuggled shipments of illegal drugs, which he arranged to be delivered to addresses in Madison County via U.S. Mail.

For purposes of sentencing, Davis was deemed responsible for distributing, possessing with intent to distribute and conspiring to distribute or to possess with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, more than 40 grams of fentanyl, 2.81 grams of cocaine, and more than 80,000 units of Alprazolam, according to his plea.

The penalty for the conspiracy charge is 10 years to life in prison and a maximum $10 million fine. The penalty for possessing firearms in furtherance of drug-trafficking crimes is five years to life in prison, served consecutively to any other prison term imposed, and a maximum $250,000 fine.

Source: USAO-NDAL

The Indictment

Tuesday, May 29, 2018

BIRMINGHAM – A federal grand jury today indicted a Madison man for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, Fentanyl and Alprazolam in Madison County and elsewhere in the Northern District of Alabama, announced U.S. Attorney Jay E. Town and U.S. Postal Inspection Service Inspector in Charge Adrian Gonzalez.

A seven-count indictment filed in U.S. District Court charges JOSEPH WILLIAM DAVIS, 25, with the drug-distribution conspiracy in 2016 and 2017, and with possessing firearms, a Glock G22 semi-automatic handgun and a Bushmaster Carbon 15 semi-automatic rifle, in furtherance of the conspiracy. As part of the conspiracy, Davis possessed with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on March 2, 2017, in Madison County, and both possessed and attempted to possess with the intent to distribute Alprazolam, an anti-anxiety medication, on March 8, in Cullman County, according to the indictment.

On March 2, the indictment also charges, Davis possessed with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid at least 50 times more potent than heroin, and possessed with intent to distribute both cocaine and Alprazolam.

“Drug traffickers bring gun violence to our neighborhoods and peddle their deadly poison without regard to the pain and ruin they leave behind,” Town said. “The Postal Inspection Service is one of the many law enforcement agencies working with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to ensure these drug dealers are caught, prosecuted and sent to prison.”

The penalty for the conspiracy charge and for the distribution charge involving 50 grams or more of methamphetamine is 10 years to life in prison and a maximum $10 million fine. The penalty for possessing firearms in furtherance of drug-trafficking crimes is five years to life in prison, served consecutively to any other prison term imposed, and a maximum $250,000 fine.

An indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Source: USAO-NDAL