A man from Puyallup, Washington, was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison for operating a dark web marketplace that sold fentanyl-laced pills. Trevor Stephen Haahr, 34, distributed over 100,000 pills designed to look like prescription pain medications. Law enforcement found nearly one kilogram of additional fentanyl pills in his storage unit, which he used as a packaging center.
At sentencing in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright stated, “This was not a matter of small-time drug dealing to supplement an individual habit; this took sophisticated efforts to sell large amounts of fentanyl.”
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd said, “This defendant was sending dangerous pills through the mails at the height of the fentanyl overdose crisis. His dark web distribution endangered not only those across the country who bought his pills, it endangered those postal workers who might be exposed to the fentanyl from a damaged package or shipping mishap.”
Inspector in Charge Anthony Galetti added, “Just one fentanyl pill has the potential to take a loved one, destroy a family, and forever change a community. The U.S. Mail remains one of the most trusted forms of shipping in the world. When people misuse it to harm our communities, it’s our duty and responsibility to do everything we can to hold people like Haahr accountable. The sentencing today should serve as a warning to all. If you ship illegal and dangerous narcotics, we will find you. We thank the HSI and the FBI for their assistance on this case.”
Investigators began looking into sales of fentanyl pills on a dark web marketplace in early 2023 after purchasing and testing some pills labeled as M30 oxycodone that were revealed to contain fentanyl instead.
Haahr was identified as the operator through investigative techniques. In February 2024, he mailed more than 10,000 fentanyl pills from Pierce County that were intercepted by law enforcement.
On March 11, 2024, authorities executed search warrants at Haahr’s residence and other locations tied to him. At his office he was logged into his dark web vendor profile; drugs and shipping supplies were found in his truck and storage locker along with proceeds from drug sales.
Law enforcement also seized bitcoin worth about $50,000 at the time as proceeds from drug transactions; Haahr is forfeiting these funds.
Prosecutors noted that Haahr’s activities coincided with record levels of fatal overdoses involving fentanyl in King County—1,086 deaths reported in 2023 and another 788 so far in 2024—highlighting both local impact and broader effects on families and communities.
Kaeli Arielle Albert of Orting conspired with Haahr and received an earlier sentence of 18 months for her role.
Jonathan Dean of the FBI Seattle field office said: “By distributing more than 100,000 fentanyl laced pills, Mr. Haahr and his co-conspirators were spreading dangerous and highly addictive drugs into our communities… The FBI and our partners will continue to pursue drug traffickers and hold them accountable including those who might think they are hiding on the dark web.”
April Miller from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) commented: “As today’s sentence proves, the anonymity of the dark web does not shield criminals from facing justice… HSI, USPIS, and the FBI identified the source of this deadly online marketplace… If you traffic fentanyl—on the street or online—we will find you and hold you accountable.”
The investigation involved cooperation between U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), FBI Seattle Field Office (https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/seattle), and Homeland Security Investigations (https://www.dhs.gov/homeland-security-investigations).
Assistant United States Attorneys Brian Wynne and Casey Conzatti prosecuted this case.
