LAS VEGAS, NV – In a significant legal development, United States District Judge Andrew P. Gordon sentenced a Las Vegas resident to eight years in prison on Friday. Following his prison term, the individual will undergo three years of supervised release. The charges include importing, processing, and distributing nearly 300 pounds of Tapentadol, a Schedule II controlled opioid, across the United States, in addition to engaging in money laundering through the use of shell companies.
Christopher S. Housley, 51, was found to have rented postal boxes at several UPS stores across Las Vegas using fraudulent identifications. In January 2021, law enforcement officials intercepted parcels inbound from India containing controlled substances, intended for Housley. The seized substances included nearly 300,000 Tapentadol pills, totaling more than 300 pounds.
In 2021, Housley, alongside a co-conspirator, acquired an industrial pill press and even attempted to obtain a Hello Kitty-themed die for pill pressing. The operation involved the importation and processing of drugs for nationwide distribution. Financial transactions related to the drug operation were concealed through two shell companies, which wired approximately $116,000 to accounts in India, China, and Singapore. These accounts received about $350,000 in deposits between July 2021 and January 2022.
A crucial breakthrough in the case came on May 3, 2022, when a search warrant led to the discovery of controlled substances, including Tapentadol and Alprazolam, in a storage unit rented by Housley under a false identity.
Housley’s conviction includes one count of possession with intent to distribute Tapentadol and 20 counts of money laundering. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Jason M. Frierson for the District of Nevada and Assistant Special Agent in Charge Kevin Adams for the DEA Las Vegas District Office. The DEA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation, with the case prosecuted by an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Nevada.