Washington Man Sentenced to 42 Months for Selling Fentanyl Forbidden Drug on Dark Web

A 34 years old man Trevor Stephen Haahr from Washington, has received a sentence of 42 months in a Federal prison for selling fake pills laced with fentanyl. 

The United States authorities revealed that Stephen distributed these pills through a dark web marketplace to people across the country.

The U.S. District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright also disclosed that the drug operation was well-organized, as he had shipped the counterfeit prescription to people all over the country.

According to the United States Attorney’s Office, Trevor Stephen Haahr sold over 100,000 of the fake medication, which they produced to look like legitimate pain medications but had fentanyl in it.

Fentanyl is a very strong synthetic opioid that Prosecutors stated has caused many deaths by overdose nationwide.

The Investigation Into Stephen Haahr and the distribution of  Fentanyl Pills Started in 2023

Haahr achieved massive success in distributing the fake drugs he disguised as the popular oxycodone tablets popular as “M30” pills.

However, the pills are different because they have Fentanyl, which investigators said is more potent than heroin and morphine. The authorities started the investigation into Stephen Haahr in 2023 after they noticed a suspicious drug listing on a dark web marketplace.

Some officers disguised themselves as users and bought some of the pills, which the criminals said were prescription oxycodone. After the tests in the laboratory, the officers didn’t find pharmaceutical ingredients in them but found fentanyl.

This discovery put everyone to work aiming to find the vendor who listed such dangerous substances as a pain medication. When the investigators traced the online account, Haahr owned it, and he was carrying out his operations from some location in Pierce Country Washington.

According to investigators, Haarh relies on cryptocurrency for payments and uses an anonymous method to ship the pills so the authorities won’t notice. However, the law enforcement agents connected the digital accounts and shipments to him by surveilling him and tracking his finances.

In February 2024, investigators grabbed a package the culprit sent out from Pierce County that had over 10,000 fentanyl pills in it. After discovering such a huge shipment, the case against Haarh became even more stronger.

These massive seizures are becoming more common as law enforcement gets better at tracking dark web drug operations, a trend also seen in the Florida couple’s case, where investigators uncovered a multi-state trafficking ring that ultimately led to sentences exceeding a decade.

When officers later got search warrants and ransacked his home, office, storage locker & even his vehicle, there were drug packaging materials, more fentanyl pills, and enough evidence linking him to the online marketplace account. The officers also found $50,000 in crypto, which Haarh let go as proceeds from drugs.

Prosecutors said the investigation also showed that Haahr had a supplier who offered people the fentanyl pills for resale.

Stephen Haahr Bagged 42 Months Highlighting Risks of Trafficking Hard Substances

Haahr’s sentencing took place in the U.S. District Court in Tacoma. The judge gave him 42 months of jail time after pleading guilty to federal drug charges.

During the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Tiffany M. Cartwright emphasized the seriousness of the case, stating that it was a high-class scheme to distribute very dangerous drugs.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd stated that Haarh sold these pills when overdose crises from fentanyl were at their peak. According to prosecutors, deaths from fentanyl in King County were 1,086 in 2023 but came down to 788 in 2024.

This is why Floyd believes that Haarh’s business puts both the buyers and postal workers at risk. Given how potent the drug is, small amounts can be deadly to anyone who inhales the powder.

During the sentencing, prosecutors wanted a 5-year jail term, but the court gave him 42 months. Meanwhile, earlier, before Haarh’s sentencing, the court gave his partner in crime, Kaeli Arielle Albert, 35, of Orting, 18 months jail time.

The law enforcement agencies that worked on the case came from the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, plus the people from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, where the mailing passed through.

The prosecutors are warning others whose aim is to use the dark web to sell illegal narcotics, stating that transacting in secret doesn’t mean safety for bad actors.