LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A Las Vegas man has been sentenced to eight years in prison for money laundering and importing, processing, and distributing opioids, the Department of Justice announced this week.
Prosecutors say 51-year-old Christopher Housley used fake IDs to rent postal boxes at several UPS stores across the valley.
In January 2021, law enforcement seized parcels containing Carisoprodol, Tadalafil, and Sildenafil, which were shipped from India and addressed to locations associated with Housley. Law enforcement seized nearly 300,000 Tapentadol pills, which weighed more than 300 pounds.
Court documents state in July 2021, Housley obtained an industrial pill press and in October 2021, he used a Hello Kitty die to press pills with that logo. Law enforcement said Housley would distribute the drugs throughout the country.
In addition to distributing the drugs, the Justice Department said Housley created two shell companies to aid in paying for the drugs and receiving payments for the drug sales. They added the shell companies wired $116,000 to accounts in India, China, and Singapore.
Housley pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and 20 counts of money laundering.
On Friday, he was sentenced to eight years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release.
