Defendant Pleads Guilty in Largest Single Cryptocurrency and Cash Seizure in DEA History

An Indian national admitted guilt in U.S. District Court on January 26, 2024, for orchestrating a dark web narcotics conspiracy. This operation facilitated the trafficking of hundreds of kilograms and tens of thousands of pills of controlled substances across the United States. The defendant established a sprawling multi-million-dollar drug enterprise, and has voluntarily forfeited cryptocurrency accounts valued at an estimated $150 million.

An Upper Arlington Police Division detective, currently assigned to a Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force, was among a group of local, state, and federal law enforcement officials that have been investigating this case for more than four years. Banmeet Singh, 40, of Haldwani, India pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Singh was arrested in London, England in April 2019 and was extradited to the United States in 2023. Singh is one of eight defendants who were members of this drug trafficking organization who have been convicted of drug trafficking charges throughout the United States.

Click here to read the full news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.