United States Drug Enforcement Administration

CONCORD, N.H. – Manchester resident Aaron Silva, 27, was sentenced in federal court to 72 months of imprisonment followed by five years of supervised release, for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan announces.  

According to court documents and statements made in court, in 2023, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service identified suspicious packages being sent from California to Silva’s address in New Hampshire. Investigators surveilled Silva and conducted a traffic stop after observing him retrieve one of those suspicious packages. After a drug dog alerted on Silva’s car, investigators searched it pursuant to a warrant and found a box containing half of a pound of pure methamphetamine. After his arrest, Silva admitted to receiving methamphetamine through the mail, which he ordered off of the “dark web” and intended to redistribute to his own customers. 

“This sentencing should serve as a reminder that going on the dark web to traffic illicit drugs does not make those transactions untraceable – we and our federal and state law enforcement partners will find you and we will hold you accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Creegan. “Meth is a highly addictive substance that has caused extensive damage in New Hampshire communities – we will continue disrupting distribution networks for those who traffic in these substances and putting defendants such as Mr. Silva behind bars.”

“Today’s sentencing demonstrates our commitment to keeping methamphetamines and other highly addictive drugs that are purchased from the dark web from destroying lives,” said Justin Page, Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Division. “The U.S. Postal Inspection Service aggressively investigates dark web activity that involves the shipment of illegal narcotics.  We will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and dedicate the resources necessary to keep drug traffickers out of our communities.”

“The dark web is not a safe haven for those looking to buy and distribute dangerous drugs,” said Special Agent in Charge Jarod Forget, New England Field Division. “Those who believe they can hide behind a computer screen to obtain methamphetamine and fuel drug trafficking in our communities are mistaken. DEA and our law enforcement partners will continue to pursue those who exploit online marketplaces to distribute these dangerous substances and hold them accountable for their actions.”

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) led the investigation with valuable assistance from the New Hampshire State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mike Shannon prosecuted the case.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF New Hampshire comprises agents and officers from FBI, HSI, IRS, DEA, ATF, USMS, and DSS with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire.