#British National Convicted of International Drug Trafficking Conspiracy Charges Linked to 2017 Deaths of Two Navy Submariners

A 47-year-old British national, Paul Anthony Nicholls, has been convicted of conspiring to distribute and import fentanyl analogues and other novel controlled substances on a dark web platform. This conviction is linked to the deaths of two US Navy submariners in 2017.

#Key Facts

• Nicholls operated a drug trafficking organization titled "Canada1" on the dark web marketplace "Dream Market".
• The organization sold various controlled substances, including:
  • The synthetic opioid U-47700
  • The fentanyl analogue Methoxy acetyl fentanyl
• Over 40 packages containing fentanyl analogues were intercepted, valued at $24,000,000 and potentially lethal to 375,000 people.
• Two packages were sent to US Navy submariners in Georgia, resulting in their deaths from opioid overdoses.

#Conviction and Sentencing

• Nicholls was convicted of:
  • Conspiracy to Import Controlled Substances Resulting in Death
  • Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances Resulting in Death
• He faces:
  • A minimum mandatory sentence of 20 years imprisonment
  • A maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment
  • Significant monetary penalties

#Additional Information

Nicholls' conspirator has been indicted but has not yet been tried.