United States Drug Enforcement Administration

MACON, Ga. – Two investigations of dark web drug traffickers in the Middle District of Georgia were announced as part of Operation TorNado, a coordinated, multi-agency and international law enforcement effort targeting criminal enterprises that use dark web markets to traffic fentanyl, opioids, and other illicit drugs. The announcement was made today by the Department of Justice, through the Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement (JCODE) team, with Europol in Washington, D.C. You can find the full press release here. 

“Criminals who use the dark web to traffic fentanyl and other dangerous opioids should know there is no hiding place from law enforcement,” said Michael J. Connolly, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the DEA Atlanta Field Division. “Through strong partnerships, intelligence sharing, and coordinated enforcement efforts, we are identifying, disrupting, and dismantling these criminal networks. We remain committed to protecting our communities and advancing our mission of a Fentanyl Free America.” 

“Fentanyl and other illicit narcotics continue to devastate families and communities across our nation,” said U.S. Attorney William R. “Will” Keyes. “Today's announcement demonstrates our commitment to holding accountable those who traffic deadly drugs through the dark web and other illicit channels. Working with our law enforcement partners, we will aggressively pursue those responsible and use every tool available to disrupt these criminal enterprises and protect the public.” 

“Through our joint enforcement efforts, we’ve dismantled a criminal organization that posed a direct threat to the safety and stability of various communities,” said Rodney M. Hopkins, Inspector in Charge of the Atlanta Division. “Postal Inspectors will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and hold those accountable who maliciously utilize the U.S. mail system.” 

“Criminals who use the dark web to distribute fentanyl and other dangerous drugs may think technology and anonymity will shield them from law enforcement, but they are wrong,” said Marlo Graham, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “These investigations demonstrate our commitment to following the evidence wherever it leads, leveraging technology and strong partnerships to identify those responsible, disrupt their operations, and hold them accountable. We will continue working with our local, federal, and international partners to stop the flow of deadly drugs and protect our communities.” 

The extensive international operation, which spanned from May 2025 to October 2026, resulted in dozens of federal prosecutions nationally, including in the Middle District of Georgia: 

Case No. 3:25-cr-00011: Oboite, et al. Indictment 

Steven Ehizojie Oboite, 33, of Conyers, Georgia, was charged by indictment with one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine and faces a maximum of life in prison. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 

Joshua Jamal Charles, 27, of Atlanta, is charged by indictment with one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine and faces a maximum of life in prison. An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. 

Eric Xavier Bechet, 32, of Dunwoody, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine on September 14, and faces a maximum of life in prison. 

Reginald Tyrone Douglas, 32, of Dunwoody, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine on September 2, and faces a maximum of life in prison. 

Myron Ned Stodghill, 32, of Fairburn, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute cocaine on June 3, 2026, and faces a maximum of 40 years in prison. 

In case in case number 3:26-cr-00019, co-conspirator Serina Johnson, 32, of Suwanee, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine on November 5, and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison. 

Sentencing hearings will be scheduled by the Court. There is no parole in the federal system. 

According to court documents, federal law enforcement agencies began investigating the darknet vendor “WallstreetBets” in 2021 for distributing fentanyl, methamphetamine, and other controlled substances through multiple darknet marketplaces. Investigators linked the operation to the Atlanta area after intercepting numerous drug packages shipped through the U.S. Postal Service that shared common characteristics, including prepaid cryptocurrency-funded postage and fictitious return addresses. 

In June 2022, U.S. Postal Inspection Service investigators identified Bechet as a suspected member of the operation after observing him mail dozens of packages from a postal facility in metro Atlanta. Beginning in 2024, the FBI expanded the investigation, conducting multiple controlled purchases from the WallstreetBets vendor account and using surveillance to track drug shipments to area post offices. Search warrants executed in May 2025 uncovered a drug storage and packaging operation tied to the conspiracy and resulted in the seizure of approximately 16.7 kilograms of fentanyl, 238 grams of methamphetamine, and 885 grams of cocaine. 

The investigation further revealed that co-conspirators used darknet marketplaces, encrypted communications, cryptocurrency accounts, and false shipping information to facilitate narcotics sales nationwide. Evidence gathered from electronic devices, cooperating witnesses, and additional searches showed that members of the organization continued operating the WallstreetBets account after the arrest of Oboite, its alleged leader, coordinating drug orders, packaging, and shipments through trusted associates. Additional narcotics intended for distribution through the darknet operation were recovered during subsequent searches. 

Case No. 3:24-cr-00023: Homler, et al. Indictment 

Sam Homler, 28, of New Orleans, Louisiana, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute protonitazene and one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine on July 7, 2025, and faces a maximum of life in prison. Homler’s sentencing hearing will be scheduled by the Court. 

Sergio Marroquin-Sosa, 33, of North Hollywood, California, was sentenced to serve 46 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release on Jan. 14, 2026, after he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 50 grams of methamphetamine on June 4, 2025. 

Shayaan Husain, 27, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was sentenced to serve 12 months in prison on March 3, 2026, to be remanded to Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) officials upon completion of his prison sentence for immigration proceedings. Husain pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute protonitazene on July 8, 2025. 

There is no parole in the federal system. 

According to court documents in the Homler case, a federal investigation uncovered an international drug trafficking conspiracy led by Homler and involving Husain and Marroquin Sosa, who operated under the darknet vendor known as “Martin Van Buren,” “Martyvanburren8,” or “Marty.” Beginning in 2023, investigators conducted a series of controlled purchases that revealed the organization used darknet marketplaces, encrypted messaging applications, cryptocurrency, and the U.S. mail to distribute controlled substances throughout the United States. During the investigation, authorities intercepted shipments containing approximately 500 grams of ketamine, protonitazene, and more than nine kilograms of actual methamphetamine. 

On Oct. 16, 2024, agents executed a search warrant at Husain’s residence in Philadelphia, recovering methamphetamine, ketamine, MDMA, cocaine, DMT, THC products, suspected marijuana, cash, and electronic devices. The investigation revealed that members of the conspiracy coordinated drug shipments across multiple states and internationally, using aliases, fraudulent shipping information, encrypted communications, and cryptocurrency transactions to facilitate and conceal their drug trafficking activities. Homler was held accountable for ketamine and protonitazene shipments mailed on his behalf by Husain and recovered from an undercover post office box in September 2023, as well as more than nine kilograms of methamphetamine shipped on his behalf in 2023 and by Marroquin-Sosa in 2024. He was also held accountable for the narcotics seized during the search of Husain's residence. 

Operation TorNado, which was conducted across the United States, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, demonstrates the continued partnership between JCODE and Europol against the illegal sale of drugs and other illicit goods and services on the Dark Web. Operation TorNado represents the sixth and most extensive internationally coordinated action since JCODE was created in 2018 and builds on the success of last year’s Operation RapTor. This operation included actions against Dark Web vendors and buyers who were active on prominent dark web drug markets seized by law enforcement including: Archetyp, Bohemia, Nemesis, Kingdom, and Tor2Door. 

Following the takedown of multiple darknet marketplaces and vendor targets in the previous JCODE operation, U.S. and international law enforcement agencies obtained intelligence to identify Dark Web drug traffickers, resulting in a series of complementary, but separate, law enforcement investigations. Operation TorNado actions have resulted in the arrest of 354 Dark Web drug traffickers and fraudulent criminals who engaged in tens of thousands of sales of illicit goods and services across the United States, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. 

This operation resulted in the seizure of over $234 million in both cash and virtual currencies; approximately 5.7 metric tons of illicit drugs worldwide, including fentanyl and other opioids, methamphetamine, heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, and MDMA, 38 pill presses; and 209 firearms. Dark Web vendor accounts were identified and attributed to real individuals selling illicit goods on Dark Web markets such as DrugHub, Archetyp, and others. By leveraging complementary partnerships and surging resources across the U.S. government and Europol, Operation TorNado significantly disrupted the online opioid trade and sends a strong message that criminals operating on the Dark Web are not beyond the reach of law enforcement. 

Operation TorNado led to 132 arrests in the United States, two in Australia, six in Austria, four in Czechia, one in Finland, 23 in France, 41 in Germany, 45 in Hungary, five in Ireland, 12 in the Netherlands, 13 in New Zealand, 11 in Slovenia, and 59 in the United Kingdom (UK). 

Operation TorNado was a collaborative initiative across JCODE members, including the Department of Justice; FBI; DEA; FDA Office of Criminal Investigations; HSI; IRS-CI; USPIS; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF); Army Criminal Investigation Division (Army-CID); U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN); Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC); and Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS). Local, state and other federal agencies also contributed to Operation TorNado investigations. 

The investigations leading to Operation TorNado were significantly aided by essential support and coordination by the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section; Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the International Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (ICHIP) prosecutor based in The Hague, Europol and its Dark Web team and international partners Eurojust, Australian Federal Police (AFP), Austria’s Criminal Intelligence Service Austria with various Provincial Criminal Police Offices (Bundeskriminalamt und Landeskriminalämter); Czechia’s National Drug Headquarters - Criminal Police and Investigation Service (Národní protidrogová centrála SKPV PČR); General Directorate of Customs (Generální ředitelství cel); Finland’s Finnish Customs (Tulli); France’s National Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie Nationale); Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (Bundeskriminalamt); General Prosecutor’s Office in Frankfurt/Main, Central Office for Combating Cybercrime, Prosecutor’s Office in Cologne – Central Cybercrime Contact Point (Staatsanwaltschaft Köln, Zentral- und Ansprechstelle Cybercrime); Central Criminal Investigation in Oldenburg (Zentrale Kriminalinspektion Oldenburg); various police departments (Dienststellen der Länderpolizeien); German Customs Investigation (Zollfahndungsämter); Hungary’s National Bureau of Investigation and several police departments (Nemzeti Nyomozó Iroda); Ireland’s Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau (An Garda Síochána); Montenegro’s Police Directorate of Montenegro (Uprava policije Crne Gore); Netherlands Team High Tech Crime (National Investigations and Special Operations (NIS) and Post Interventie Team (PIT); National Intelligence, Expertise and Operational Support (NIEO); New Zealand’s Police (Ngā Pirihimana o Aotearoa); Slovenia’s Illicit Drugs Section in Criminal Police Directorate (Uprava kriminalistične policije), General Police Directorate in cooperation with the Criminal Police Directorate in Maribor (Policijska uprava Maribor) and the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) and National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC). 

Federal prosecutions are being conducted in more than 20 federal districts, including: the Central District of California, the Eastern District of California, the Northern District of California, the Southern District of California, the District of Colorado, the District of Columbia, the District of Connecticut, the Middle District of Florida, the Southern District of Florida, the Northern District of Georgia, the Middle District of Georgia, the Northern District of Illinois, the Northern District of Indiana, the Eastern District of Kentucky, the District of Maryland, the District of Massachusetts, the Western District of Michigan, the Eastern District of Missouri, the Western District of Missouri, the District of Nebraska, the District of New Jersey, the Southern District of New York, the Northern District of Ohio, the Southern District of Ohio, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the Western District of Pennsylvania, the District of Puerto Rico, the District of Rhode Island, the Eastern District of Texas, the Northern District of Texas, the Eastern District of Virginia, and the Western District of Wisconsin. 

JCODE is an FBI-led Department of Justice initiative to disrupt global drug trafficking networks and the digital infrastructure that enables them. Operation TorNado illustrates the investigative power of federal and international partnerships to combat the borderless nature of online criminal activity. 

The Justice Department is providing intellectual property and cybercrime technical assistance to foreign law enforcement, prosecutorial, and judicial partners in other countries through the ICHIP program. The Criminal Division’s ICHIP Program is jointly administered by the Criminal Division’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT) and the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section through partnership between the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. 

The Oboite et al. case was investigated by the FBI and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), with assistance from the IRS, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department. 

The Homler et al. case was investigated by the FBI, the DEA, and the USPIS. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Peach is prosecuting the Middle District of Georgia cases for the Government.