Nigerian drug kingpin Adegboruwa jailed 30 years in U.S. for dark web empire

Nigeria’s Oluwole Adegboruwa, 54, of Las Vegas, Nevada, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for masterminding a dark web drug trafficking operation.

He was also ordered to forfeit over $20 million and will remain under lifetime supervised release. This marks one of the largest financial penalties ever imposed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.

U.S. District Court Judge Jill N. Parish delivered the sentence following Adegboruwa’s conviction, alongside co-defendant Enrique Isong, 49, of Los Angeles, California.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, in May 2024, a jury found both guilty of conspiracy to distribute oxycodone and money laundering. Isong received a 10-year sentence on 23 October 2024.

Between October 2016 and May 2019, Adegboruwa sold over 300,000 oxycodone pills through dark web platforms, generating approximately $9.1 million.

He led a sophisticated criminal enterprise, overseeing pill procurement, packaging, and distribution, while managing sales and cryptocurrency accounts.

“This case demonstrates our unwavering commitment to dismantling drug networks and protecting communities from illicit substances,” said U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins.

DEA Special Agent Jonathan Pullen remarked, “This sentencing underscores the DEA’s determination to pursue justice, even in the hidden realm of the dark web.”

The investigation, conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, DEA, and IRS Criminal Investigation, forms part of the broader efforts of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) programme to disrupt major criminal organisations.