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Allante Pires pleaded guilty to conspiracy to manufacture, distribute and possess with intent to distribute MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, Ketamine, and Alprazolam (Xanax), the U.S. Attorney's Office said. He will spend 28 months in federal prison, three years of supervised release, and must forfeit a 2013 Mercedes E sedan that investigators say he bought using drug money. Though, prosecutors wanted a far harsher penalty of 70 months behind bars.
Investigators say Pires and co-conspirators Binh Thanh Le and Steven McCall created the Dark Web site "EastSideHigh" as a drug-trafficking operation and destination where visitors could purchase drugs and receive them in the mail.
According to the federal prosecutors: "Le (the purported ringleader) ordered and received wholesale quantities of drugs he and the others were distributing in the mail, principally from foreign sources in Canada and Europe. Le, Pires, and McCall then processed and manufactured those controlled substances at an office space Le rented in Stoughton. After receiving the orders and payment via Bitcoin, the men mailed the drugs to customers throughout the United States."
Investigators seized more than 40 pounds of ecstasy, 15 pounds of Ketamine, two pounds of cocaine, and more than 10,000 fake Xanax pills, the prosecutor said.
A judge sentenced Le to eight years in prison. He also had to forfeit more than $1 million worth of Bitcoin, $114,680 in cash, and nearly $43,000 he made in the sale of a 2018 BMW M3.
McCall pleaded guilty in the case and will be sentenced later this month.
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