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Date: 02-21-2024
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Judge: Brian C. Buescher
Court: he United States Court for the District of Nebraska
Plaintiff's Attorney: The United States Court for Omaha
Defendant's Attorney:
Description:
United States Attorney Susan Lehr announced that Helen Nguyen, 31, of Culver City, California, was sentenced February 21, 2024, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Nguyen to 66 months’ imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After Nguyen’s release from prison, she will begin a 3-year term of supervised release.
In October of 2021, members of the Omaha DEA Tactical Diversion Squad began investigating a dark net marketplace (DNM) vender operating under the moniker DIRTYRUGS, a source of supply brokering deals of controlled substances, to include meth and cocaine. The vendor used the Dark Net/Peer to Peer (P2P) messaging smart phone application and shipped the products via the United States Postal Service around the United States of America, to include the District of Nebraska. On four occasions during the investigation agents ordered controlled substances, including meth, from the DIRTYRUGS’S vendor page. The agents’ four orders were received at an undercover Nebraska residence and included more than 50 grams of meth.
During the course of the investigation, agents learned that Helen Nguyen had sent the packages of meth received by the agents. A search warrant served on Nguyen’s iCloud account revealed that she was operating the DIRTYRUGS website and was conspiring with codefendant James Lau to deliver controlled substances on the Dark Net.
On June 2, 2022, a Nebraska complaint and arrest warrants were obtained for Helen Nguyen and James Lau. Search warrants were obtained for both of their California residences and executed on June 8, 2022. Nguyen was stopped as she was leaving her residence. During a search of her vehicle agents located multiple types of controlled substances, to include meth, Adderall pills, Xanax, and Farmapram. A search of Nguyen’s residence revealed multiple items consistent with the shipping of Dark Net market packages.
A search of Lau’s residence revealed approximately 1 kilogram of cocaine, counterfeit Adderall pills, and ecstasy pills. During a post arrest interview, Lau said he was working with Nguyen and knew she was using the Dark Net to distribute controlled substances. Lau said he was responsible for obtaining the drugs for sale, with the exception of the meth, which Nguyen was able to obtain.
James Lau previously pled guilty to the conspiracy charge and was sentenced to 47 months on January 4, 2024.
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
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Defendant's Experts:
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