Montreal-area man who sold drugs on the dark web sentenced to 30 years in American prison

(Facebook/Arden McCann)

A 37-year-old man who sold counterfeit drugs like Xanax and fentanyl on the dark web will serve 30 years in an American federal prison.

Arden McCann, who used various online monikers including “DRXanax,” was one of the largest drug vendors on the dark web between 2015 and 2020, according to the United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

The 30-year sentence will be followed by 10 years of supervised release, and McCann will have to pay a $1 million fine.

McCann made more than $10 million distributing substances including counterfeit Xanax, or alprazolam, purchased from China. He was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Feb. 26, 2020 and extradited to the U.S. June 9, 2022.

He was convicted of drug importation and money laundering conspiracies on Sept. 23, 2023, after he pleaded guilty.

According to the DEA, McCann already had a criminal record selling drugs in Canada.

Canadian authorities seized about two million counterfeit Xanax pills, five pill presses, alprazolam powder, 3,000 MDMA pills, over $200,000 in cash, 15 firearms, ballistic vests and drug ledgers in an investigation into McCann’s online activities in 2015. He was arrested in Laval that year.

However, despite his arrest, McCann continued to sell narcotics on the dark web — including fentanyl analogues — until he was arrested again in 2020.

The dark web is a part of the internet not accessible through typical search engines and can be used for illegal activities or anonymous file sharing.

“Counterfeit pill production and distribution continues to pose a grave threat to public safety, especially when trafficked anonymously using dark web marketplaces,” said U.S. Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. in a news release.

“This country is in the midst of a catastrophic overdose epidemic where the threat from synthetic opioids disguised as fake prescription medication is extremely high. The FBI will do whatever is necessary to hold criminals who sell counterfeit drugs accountable,” added Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent Sean Burke.

The DEA, FBI, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the United States Postal Inspection Service, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and RCMP worked on the investigation leading to McCann’s arrest.