Aliquippa man sentenced to 15 years for making, selling fake drugs on the darknet

An Aliquippa man was sentenced Wednesday to 15 years in federal prison in connection with a sweeping drug distribution scheme in which he manufactured counterfeit Oxycodone, Adderall and Xanax pills to sell.

Jacob Blair, 27, pleaded guilty in December before U.S. District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson to a charge of conspiracy to distribute more than 400 grams of fentanyl and 50 grams of methamphetamine.

He also pleaded guilty to a charge of illegally possessing a gun, and to one charge in the District of Columbia of distributing 40 grams or more of fentanyl and 50 grams or more of methamphetamine.

Blair was ordered to serve five years of supervised release following the prison term.

According to court documents, Blair admitted to mass-marketing the drugs through an interactive computer service. He sold and distributed the narcotics on Tor2Door and other darknet markets.

Blair’s co-defendant, Dyani Pezzelle, pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy to distribute more than 40 grams of fentanyl and 50 grams of methamphetamine. Pezzelle is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 18.

According to court documents, Blair and Pezzelle operated vendor accounts on various darknet marketplaces between between August 2022 and February 2023.

On Tor2Door, the pair advertised the controlled substances using the names “YVS” and “YVendor Supplier,” which they touted as “a syndicate of professionals that specialize in making the best products the markets have to offer. We focus on quality, consistency, stealth, and speed.”

The conspiracy completed at least 459 sales of illegal narcotics, according to the court papers.

Blair also posted ads on four other marketplaces and accepted payment in cryptocurrency.

He is accused of shipping counterfeit Oxycodone pills to the District of Columbia at least six times. These pills contained fentanyl, and metonitazene, a Schedule I controlled substance, according to court documents.

In addition, he also shipped counterfeit Xanax and Adderall pills to D.C. multiple times.

Law enforcement in February executed search warrants at Blair’s Aliquippa home and other locations. Officers recovered 10 guns, more than 20,000 counterfeit Oxycodone pills that contained fentanyl, an industrial pill press and other manufacturing and distribution supplies.

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Field Offices in Washington D.C. and Pittsburgh, the DEA, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistance was provided by the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and the Moon Township Police Department.

The case is being prosecuted by assistant U.S. attorney is Washington, D.C. and the Western District of Pennsylvania. It was initially investigated and indictments brought by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Rosenberg.