Florida Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Selling Fentanyl over the Dark Web

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Chaloner Saintillus, 35, of Delray Beach, Florida, was sentenced today to 10 years and one month in prison for distributing controlled substances into the Eastern District of California using the dark web, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, Saintillus operated multiple narcotics vendor accounts on the dark web under the username “chlnsaint,” through which he sold fentanyl, oxycodone, oxymorphone, and other narcotics in exchange for cryptocurrency. Taking advantage of the dark web’s anonymity, Saintillus completed more than 1,000 drug deals between August 2019 and August 2020 alone. Saintillus used the U.S. Postal Service to send his customers the fentanyl, opioids, and other narcotics they purchased from “chlnsaint.”

Law enforcement officers conducted 12 controlled purchases of narcotics from “chlnsaint” between April and October 2020. Agents identified Saintillus as “chlnsaint” through physical surveillance and analysis of financial, package tracking, and photographic records maintained by the Postal Service. Agents executed search warrants at Saintillus’s Florida residence in October 2020, during which they arrested Saintillus and seized narcotics, more than $20,000 in cryptocurrency, a firearm, and a suitcase full of ammunition. On April 6, 2023, Saintillus pleaded guilty to 12 counts of distributing controlled substances.

This case was the product of an investigation by Northern California Illicit Digital Economy Task Force (NCIDE), which is composed of agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the IRS Criminal Investigation, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. NCIDE agents received assistance from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and the Delray Beach Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sam Stefanki and Ross Pearson prosecuted the case.