Ecstasy and candy with MDMA confiscated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection is shown to members of the media from people crossing into the U.S. from Canada during a press conference at the CBP Fort Street Cargo Facility in Detroit on Wednesday, January 29, 2020. 012920 Us Border Rg 13
Los Angeles, California – Four Los Angeles County men were arrested Wednesday for allegedly running one of the largest drug distribution operations on the dark web, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Federal prosecutors say the men used 10 vendor profiles across 17 different dark web marketplaces from 2018 to early 2024 to sell narcotics including cocaine, methamphetamine, MDMA (ecstasy), and ketamine. Customers paid in cryptocurrency, and the drugs were shipped through the U.S. Postal Service.
The suspects — Davit Avalyan, Hrant Gevorgyan, Hayk Grigoryan, all 35 and from Glendale, and Gurgen Nersesyan, 43, of Sherman Oaks — were indicted April 1 and charged with conspiring to distribute controlled substances. Prosecutors outlined 116 overt acts tied to the alleged conspiracy. Each man pleaded not guilty Wednesday. If convicted, they could face life in prison.
The indictment highlights vendor names such as JoyInc, LaFarmacia, and WhiteDoc, which allegedly appeared across dark web platforms like Drughub. According to the DOJ, JoyInc was “one of the most prolific methamphetamine and cocaine distributors to ever operate on the darknet.”
A DOJ screenshot from Drughub showed cocaine being sold in bulk quantities by JoyInc, with other drugs advertised, including MDMA “straight from EUROPE” and ketamine priced at $435.
During searches of properties tied to the suspects, law enforcement reportedly recovered large amounts of cash and suspected narcotics. However, further details remain sealed.
“This case demonstrates our continued efforts to dismantle sophisticated darknet drug networks that fuel addiction and death across the country,” the DOJ stated. The arrests are part of a broader federal crackdown on online narcotics vendors accused of delivering dangerous substances to thousands of Americans.
Authorities emphasized that the dark web has become an increasingly common platform for drug trafficking, often concealed behind anonymity tools and cryptocurrency transactions, making detection and prosecution more complex.
The investigation is ongoing.
