A Glendale man who federal prosecutors say helped run a dark web drug pipeline through the mail is headed to prison for more than five years. Davit Avalyan, 36, was sentenced Tuesday in federal court after pleading guilty to his role in an online drug distribution operation that moved cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA and ketamine. Court filings say Avalyan admitted in October 2025 to a conspiracy to distribute those drugs, and prosecutors say he was the last of four defendants to draw federal prison time in the case. The scheme was tied to darknet vendor accounts that authorities say shipped narcotics nationwide in exchange for cryptocurrency.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, investigators say the network operated roughly 10 vendor storefronts on 17 dark web marketplaces from September 2018 through February 2025. Prosecutors pointed to vendor names like JoyInc, LaFarmacia and WhiteDoc and said the group relied on small, mail-style shipments to fulfill orders. The takedown was part of the Department of Justice’s JCODE effort, which targets opioid and other darknet drug vendors.
The sentence for Avalyan caps a multi-part prosecution that has already sent three co-defendants to federal prison, according to CBS Los Angeles. That outlet reports that Hayk Grigoryan received a 10-year term, Hrant Gevorgyan was sentenced to two years, and Gurgen Nersesyan was ordered to serve at least one year. Court filings reviewed by reporters state that Avalyan pleaded guilty in October 2025 to the conspiracy and related distribution counts.
How Investigators Say The Mailbox Pipeline Worked
Prosecutors say the crew tried to blend into everyday mail traffic. According to charging documents, defendants packaged small amounts of narcotics into parcels, then dropped them at post offices and neighborhood mailboxes across Los Angeles County in an effort to obscure where the shipments were really coming from. Court documents obtained by the U.S. Attorney’s Office indicate Avalyan bought bulk postage stamps and secured tracking labels tied to third parties to help mask the mailing trail. Law enforcement agencies say a mix of undercover buys and search warrants over several years created the paper trail that linked the anonymous vendor pages to those local drop-offs.
Sentences For The Co-Defendants
Federal judges handed down different prison terms as the four related cases wrapped up, reflecting plea deals and what each defendant admitted doing. The penalties ranged from roughly two years to a decade behind bars, with the longest reported term going to Grigoryan, according to CBS Los Angeles. Prosecutors say the sentences followed a 12-count indictment that laid out more than 100 overt acts that allegedly furthered the conspiracy.
Why Prosecutors Zeroed In On JoyInc
Federal filings and screenshots reviewed by reporters showed vendor pages advertising bulk quantities of cocaine, ketamine and MDMA, and prosecutors said JoyInc’s listings were a key signal of large-scale distribution, according to the Los Angeles Times. Investigators told the court that the mix of cryptocurrency payments and mailed drug shipments let the operation reach buyers across the country while helping shield the people behind the keyboard. Officials say the takedown highlights how online marketplaces have pushed a chunk of drug trafficking away from traditional street networks and into encrypted corners of the internet.
What Comes Next
With Avalyan now sentenced, authorities say the wider investigation, described as a multi-agency push to dismantle darknet vendors, is still active and that similar prosecutions will remain a priority for federal lawyers, according to reporting by Patch. Defendants in these kinds of federal cases are turned over to the Bureau of Prisons to begin serving their terms and typically face supervised release requirements once they leave custody.
