Second person in ‘Drug Llama’ scheme pleads guilty to distributing fentanyl in Illinois
A 32-year-old woman who acted as part of a drug dealing scheme on the dark web known as the “Drug Llama” has pleaded guilty to the charges against her.
Melissa Scanlan, of San Diego, California, was charged with 10 felony counts in September 2018. The charges included five counts of distributing fentanyl and individual counts of conspiracy to distribute and distributing a drug that resulted in death.
On Wednesday, she pleaded guilty in the U.S. Federal Court, Southern District of Illinois in East St. Louis, nearly three months after her co-defendant, 34-year-old Brandon Arias, pleaded guilty to eight similar counts in the case.
As part of her guilty plea, Scanlan admitted that she and Arias created an account on “Dream Market,” a dark web marketplace where users can buy and sell illegal substances and services, a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s office stated. The two used the account under the pseudonym “Drug Llama” to sell substantial qualities of narcotics, including fentanyl, a highly addictive and often deadly opioid painkiller.
According to the release, Scanlan admitted she had aided and abetted in distributing fentanyl pills to a woman who died after taking them.
Scanlan and Arias made over $100,000 from their drug trafficking scheme and split the money evenly, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office. Scanlan told prosecutors that she also participated in an international money laundering conspiracy with Mexican cartel members.
Scanlan has been in federal custody since she was charged in 2018. Her sentencing has been set for Feb. 10, 2020 in front of U.S. District Chief Judge Nancy Rosenstengel.
She faces no less than 20 years in prison for distributing fentanyl resulting in death, and could receive up to life imprisonment and as much as $10 million in fines.
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