John Cruz, the New York man who made headlines for selling counterfeit Xanax on the dark web, has pleaded guilty to continuing his illegal operations while on bond. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Cruz, a 31-year-old from Rochester, admitted to one count of conspiracy to misbrand, introduce misbranded drugs, and sell counterfeit drugs in U.S. District Court in St. Louis.
Previously, on Nov. 29, 2023, Cruz had pleaded guilty to the same charge, confessing to the purchase and resale of counterfeit Xanax from at least October 2019 through May 2021. Despite this, Cruz continued his illicit trade on a darknet website, offering four different types of counterfeit/misbranded pills. An undercover FBI Special Agent conducted several purchases from Cruz using cryptocurrency, as part of an investigation that included several law enforcement agencies.
In a related operation, Cruz’s co-defendant, Jared James of Lexington, Kentucky, was also implicated in the counterfeit drug trade. James, 48, was sentenced to 32 months in prison in May after his own guilty plea. A court-approved search of James’ home on April 9, 2024, uncovered pills in four colors and, on the day prior, officers observed James mailing packages containing around 1,000 counterfeit or misbranded pills each to multiple out-of-state locations…