Indio Woman Pleads Guilty to Dark Web Drug and Money Laundering Conspiracy

scale of justicePhoto byNellie AdamyanonUnsplash

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Holly Danielle Adams, 34, of Indio, has admitted guilt in a conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, as well as to launder money, announced U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert today.

Court documents reveal that from 2020 to 2022, Adams and her co-conspirator Devlin Hosner, 35, managed vendor accounts on dark web marketplaces ToRReZ and Dark0de. They made hundreds of thousands of dollars selling counterfeit oxycodone pills laced with fentanyl, and then laundered the proceeds using cryptocurrency mixers, wallets, and other online tools.

In September 2021, state law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the residence of Adams and Hosner. During the raid, Hosner attempted to block the officers' entry while Adams destroyed pills by dissolving them in a chemical solution. Despite their arrest and subsequent release by state authorities, the duo resumed selling fentanyl on the dark web, all while under investigation by federal agents.

In March 2022, federal law enforcement executed another search warrant at a hotel room in Riverside County where Adams and Hosner were temporarily staying. Officers seized nearly a kilogram of fentanyl-laced oxycodone pills and sixty grams of methamphetamine, leading to their arrest on federal charges.

This case was investigated by the Northern California Illicit Digital Economy (NCIDE) Task Force, which includes agents from the IRS Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, and the DEA.

The NCIDE Task Force targets all forms of illicit dark web and cryptocurrency activity in the Eastern District of California and beyond. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Stefanki is prosecuting the case.

Hosner is currently detained pending trial. The charges against him are only allegations, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Adams is scheduled for sentencing by U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez on September 24, 2024. She faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life imprisonment, along with a potential fine of up to $1 million. The final sentence will be determined by the court after considering statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.

SOURCE