CHANDLER, Ariz. — A Chandler tattoo shop owner was recently sentenced to seven years in prison for distributing illegal drugs on the "dark web," officials say.
Jason Keith Arnold, 46, was ordered to spend seven years in prison after he was convicted of conspiring to distribute heroin and methamphetamine online, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Eastern District of California.
Arnold and two co-defendants from Chandler operated accounts on a website that existed on an encrypted part of the internet, also known as the "dark web."
Prosecutors say the defendants conducted thousands of transactions through these accounts by accepting cryptocurrency. They then distributed the narcotics out of Chandler in packages made to look like they contained candy.
The drug sales generated up to $350,000 for the defendants.
Arnold is listed as being associated with a tattoo shop that operated near Alma School Road and Erie Street in Chandler, public records show.
ABC15 interviewed Arnold in 2017 after gunshots were fired near his tattoo shop. Arnold told the news station he felt the bullets were intended for his business.
One of Arnold's co-defendants was sentenced earlier this year to spend 11 years in prison. The other defendant is still litigating their case in court.
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