A San Diego woman was indicted on conspiracy to distribute fentanyl via the “dark web,” according to a complaint filed in Illinois.
Melissa Scanlan, 31, of San Diego uses the name "The Drug Llama" online. She appeared in court on Sept. 17 in San Diego to face charges of shipping more than 50,000 fentanyl pills across the U.S.
Federal prosecutors allege Scanlan conspired to distribute the misbranded fentanyl pills from at least Oct. 1, 2016, until Aug. 2, 2018. She’s also accused of money laundering.
The charges carry a mandatory minimum 10-year prison sentence.
Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times more powerful and deadly than morphine, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office.