A Southern District of Florida grand jury indicted two Los Angeles residents for allegedly running a nationwide darknet drug operation and laundering hundreds of thousands of dollars in crypto from fentanyl and methamphetamine sales.

Nicholas Aguilar, 44, and Jessica Marcolina, 37, allegedly operated vendor accounts under the name HotGirlzClub across multiple darknet marketplaces.

Grand Jury Indicts 2 Over Crypto Laundering Tied to Darknet Drug Empire

Court documents allege the pair shipped narcotics through the US Mail from as early as 2020. Law enforcement tied more than 500 parcels believed to contain narcotics to the operation during a seven-month span in 2025.

Searches of their California homes turned up distribution quantities of suspected drugs, packaging materials, and shipping supplies. Agents also found fraudulent identification documents bearing the names of identity theft victims.

In addition, investigators recovered warning inserts matching those sent in undercover purchases. The labels cautioned buyers about overdose risk, which prosecutors say shows the defendants understood the danger.

Aguilar also possessed two loaded handguns and a rifle. He ran a firearms setup that produced ghost guns, suppressors, and receivers, prosecutors allege.

Crypto’s Role in Darknet Markets

The pair allegedly moved crypto proceeds through transactions built to hide the money’s source and ownership. Such laundering is central to how darknet vendors turn drug sales into usable funds.

“Aguilar and Marcolina also allegedly conspired to launder cryptocurrency proceeds from the drug sales through transactions designed to conceal the source and ownership of the funds,” the press release said.

Darknet markets remain a durable part of the illicit crypto economy. On-chain flows to these markets reached nearly $2.6 billion in 2025, according to Chainalysis.

Bitcoin (BTC) dominated darknet payments, but its transparent ledger helps investigators trace funds. Meanwhile, many operators have shifted toward Monero (XMR), a privacy coin designed to resist tracking.

Aguilar and Marcolina each face charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The drug count carries up to life in prison, while the laundering count carries up to 20 years.

Source: BeInCrypto