Darknet Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced to 24 Years

Sean Shaughnessy, 55, was indicted in April 2019 and was convicted at trial in June 2023 of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance analogue, distribution of controlled substances, and possession of child pornography. He was sentenced before U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay.

According to evidence presented at trial, Mr. Shaughnessy sold fentanyl, carfentanil (a frequently abused elephant tranquilizer), pentedrone, and fentanyl and pentedrone analogues over the dark web, an unindexed portion of the internet accessible only via specialized software that allows users to conduct transactions with relative anonymity. His buyers purchased the drugs on dark web marketplaces using cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, and Mr. Shaughnessy shipped the drugs to their addresses in the Dallas area and all over the world.

Multiple former customers testified at Mr. Shaughnessy’s trial, noting the drugs Shaughnessy sold them, including fentanyl and its analogues, arrived to their DFW area homes very quickly and were of high potency.

Just days after purchasing fentanyl analogues from Mr. Shaughnessy, one of his customers, a young man in his 20s, died of an overdose involving that substance.  

A Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent testified about the undercover operation that identified Mr. Shaughnessy, explaining that Mr. Shaughnessy directed tens of thousands of dollars of his illicit drug proceeds to be sent to Mr. Shaughnessy in the Dallas area.

Another agent testified that during an interview with law enforcement, Mr. Shaughnessy claimed that the agents would have to “check his taxes” to determine what Mr. Shaughnessy did for a living. Agents contacted the Internal Revenue Service, which indicated Mr. Shaughnessy had filed no taxes for the relevant time periods.

In a video of his July 2016 arrest played for the jury, Mr. Shaughnessy, with white powder visible around his nose, removed and dropped a baggie of drugs from his pocket while officers were placing handcuffs on him, and he then attempted to kick it out of officers’ view. When officers noticed the baggie, the defendant insisted, “that ain’t mine,” though it was plainly visible on the officers’ body-camera footage.

Homeland Security Investigations’ Dallas and New York Field Offices conducted the investigation in partnership with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, U.S. Customs & Border Protection, the Irving Police Department, and the Sacramento District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joe Magliolo and Gary Tromblay prosecuted the case.