Manhattan's fight against dark web drug trafficking marked a decisive victory as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. announced the guilty pleas and subsequent sentencing of five individuals involved in a major cryptocurrency drug ring. As reported by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, the group shipped illicit substances to customers nationwide, tallying more than 10,000 packages of drugs funneled into communities.
At the heart of the operation, NAN WU, 39, faced justice on April 3, 2025, pleading guilty to charges including Criminal Sale of a Controlled Substance in the Second Degree and Money Laundering in the First Degree. WU's verdict delivered a sentence of at least 6 ½ years plus 5 years of post-release supervision, and a forfeiture of a digital and physical currency treasure trove, consisting of 20 bitcoin, 3297 Monero, and $12,857 in cash. WU's accomplices—PENG PENG TANG, BOWEN CHEN, ZIXIANG LIN, and KATIE MONTGOMERY—had previously entered guilty pleas for their roles within the operational spectrum of the dark web vendor known as "FireBunnyUSA."
D.A. Bragg has emphasized the significance of these convictions, emphasizing his office's prowess in navigating the shadowy lanes of the cryptomarket to "unmask those committing crimes on the dark web." The commendable efforts of his prosecutors and analysts have resulted in the cessation of a pernicious flow of narcotics, reaching from the ubiquitous domestic landscape to the confines of the nation's capital. "Whether on the dark web or on our city's streets, we will root out criminal organizations who put our community’s health at risk," Bragg said in a statement obtained by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.
The accused ran an elaborate scheme from January 2019 to August 2022, conducting their nefarious business over several dark web marketplaces, boasting of their prowess in "QUALITY SPEED OF DELIVERY and STEALTH." But as their transactions increased, so did the vigilance of undercover Manhattan D.A. investigators who, between June 2021 and August 2022 procured incriminating evidence through multiple purchases of controlled substances shipped directly into Manhattan. WU and TANG also faced their downfall in July 2022, when a search warrant led to their arrests, and the discovery of incriminating communications, as well as significant drug caches in their Flushing apartment, was made.
An intricate laundering web was unraveled, revealing nearly $8 million in Bitcoin receipts and a staggering $900,00 worth of cryptocurrency on TANG’s phone alone. Theirs was a sophisticated operation, converting Monero—a cryptocurrency designed for anonymity—into Bitcoin, which then made its way into the confines of cryptocurrency exchange accounts held by WU, TANG, and their associates. As the case unwound, the collaborative efforts of local and federal agencies, including the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Customs and Border Protection made invaluable contributions, underscoring a collective resolve against the digital facilitation of drug trade.
