LOS ANGELES — A Lancaster man pleaded guilty Thursday to a federal charge for his role in a drug ring that sold cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and crack cocaine hidden in stuffed animals on “darknet” marketplaces.
Adan Sepulveda, 30, entered his plea in Los Angeles federal court to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
He and four other Lancaster residents were charged in 2019 with membership in the Drugpharmacist drug trafficking organization, named for the moniker it used on the darknet marketplaces Wall Street Market and Dream.
The defendants hid the drugs inside stuffed animals and mailed them at post offices throughout Los Angeles, according to Sepulveda’s plea agreement.
One shipment of heroin on Aug. 7, 2018, resulted in the fatal overdose of a victim in Knoxville, Tennessee.
An investigation into the organization confirmed that the ring was using stash houses in the San Fernando Valley to package drugs for delivery, prosecutors said.
Sepulveda faces between 5 and 40 years behind bars at sentencing on Nov. 30, according to federal prosecutors.
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