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Dark Web Drug Dealer Had Enough to Kill 86K People, Faces Life in Prison

By Christopher Coble, Esq. on May 03, 2018 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

If the drug name fentanyl rings a bell, that's because it has been linked to thousands of accidental overdoses in heroin users. Carfentanil might be less well known, but is 100 times more potent than fentanyl, and 5,000 times more potent than heroin. It's supposed to be used as an elephant tranquilizer, but its toxicity in humans has aroused concerns that it could potentially be used by terrorists as a weapon of mass destruction.

Sky Justin Gornik, who just plead guilty to conspiracy to distribute controlled substances via the dark web, had enough carfentanil in his home when he was arrested to cause over 86,000 fatalities. Gornik is now facing life behind bars.

Drugs and the Dark Web

Gornik offered a veritable cornucopia of illegal pharmaceuticals over darknet sites like Abraxas, Alpha Bay, Dream Market, Evolution, Outlaw Market, and Trade Route. He admitted to trafficking fentanyl, ketamine, oxycodone, amphetamine, dimethyltryptamine, ecstasy, and psilocybin using a variety of screen names.

Federal agents found 300 vials of ketamine and hundreds of fentanyl gel tablets in Gornik's home, along with 1.7 grams of carfentanil. "A speck of carfentanil the size of a grain of sand can kill you," according to U.S. Attorney Adam Braverman. "The 1.722 grams of carfentanil seized in Gornik's residence could equate to over 86,000 fatal dosages"

Crypto Conspiracy

Gornik pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substance by internet, for which he is facing a mandatory minimum of 10 years and a possible maximum of life in prison, and another count of conspiracy to launder money, for which he could see another 20 years behind bars and will be required to forfeit at least 69 bitcoins and other digital currencies used in the transactions. "Dark Web vendors beware," Braverman added. "Your cryptocurrencies are not safe from seizure."

And with carfentanil on the market, drug users aren't safe at all.

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