International Trafficker Extradited to the United States and Charged with Importing Opioids and Money Laundering in Homeland Security Task Force Investigation

Tampa, FL - Sebastien Rollin (49, Quebec, Canada), a/k/a "Sticks" or "Stix," has been charged by federal indictment with conspiracy to import protonitazene, distribution of protonitazene for importation into the United States, and international promotional money laundering. If convicted on all counts, Rollin faces a maximum penalty of 120 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Rollin that the United States is seeking an order of forfeiture. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the indictment, Rollin, a Canadian national residing in a suburb of Montreal, Canada, began arranging the sale of synthetic opioid pills disguised as oxycodone knowing that the pills would go to Tampa. Rollin sold more than 10,000 such pills on May 13, 2024, to an undercover officer. He later sold 25,000 pills to an undercover officer on July 9, 2024. Rollin accepted payment for these sales via cryptocurrency that was sent from an undercover cryptocurrency wallet in the Middle District of Florida to Canada.

In mid-July 2024, Rollin negotiated the sale of 300,000 synthetic opioid pills to the United States; however, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police stopped the vehicle of an organization courier and seized the pills. That same day, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police executed search warrants at two clandestine laboratories in Quebec, Canada used for the manufacturing of synthetic opioids, resulting in the seizure of millions of synthetic opioid pills, recipes for synthetic drugs, and a firearm.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Coast Guard, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The Spanish National Police provided critical assistance in locating and apprehending Rollin. The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs worked with the Government of Spain to secure the arrest and Feb. 20 extradition from Spain of Rollin. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Dan Baeza.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Region 20 (Tampa) comprises agents and officers from multiple law enforcement agencies with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida.