Sturgis Man Sentenced To 70 Months For Selling Drugs On Dark Web

<_w3a_listitem listvalue="Choose an item."><_w3a_listitem listvalue="GRAND RAPIDS" datavalue="GRAND RAPIDS"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="KALAMAZOO" datavalue="KALAMAZOO"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="MARQUETTE" datavalue="MARQUETTE"><_w3a_listitem listvalue="LANSING" datavalue="LANSING"> KALAMAZOO - U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten today announced that Erik Miller, a 47-year-old resident of Sturgis, Michigan, was sentenced to 70 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute and possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances, including methamphetamine, MDMA, and Xanax®. Miller previously pleaded guilty to distributing pills and other drugs purchased by customers on the dark web.

"One pill can kill," said U.S. Attorney Mark Totten. "Individuals should only take prescription drugs prescribed by a trusted medical professional and dispensed by a licensed pharmacist. My office will continue holding peddlers accountable for pushing potentially deadly poisons into our communities."

In 2022, Miller began working with a dark web vendor to distribute fake Xanax® pills, as well as illegal controlled substances, including methamphetamine and MDMA. He also distributed real prescription drugs without requiring customers to provide a prescription. Throughout his participation in the conspiracy, Miller regularly received packages containing thousands of Xanax® pills and other drugs, which Miller then used to fulfill customer orders.

On April 14, 2023, Miller's involvement in the scheme led investigators to execute search warrants at his home and another associated property. Inside the properties, Miller had stored both controlled and non-controlled substances, including MDMA, methamphetamine, cocaine, LSD, and counterfeit Xanax®, as well as other hallmarks of a drug trafficking operation. Miller also possessed three firearms despite being prohibited from doing so.

Counterfeit pills are fake medications that have different ingredients than the actual medication. They may contain no active ingredient, the wrong active ingredient, or have the right ingredient but in an incorrect quantity. Counterfeit pills may contain lethal amounts of fentanyl or methamphetamine and are extremely dangerous because they often appear identical to legitimate prescription pills, and the user is likely unaware of what the pills contain.

For more information on counterfeit pills and they dangers they pose, see this Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Fact Sheet and the DEA's One Pill Can Kill website, www.dea.gov/onepill.

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) investigated this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Carowan prosecuted it on behalf of the United States.

# # #