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Dark Web Oxycodone Dealer Sentenced to 164 Months in Federal Prison

Samad Hamid Castro was sentenced in federal court after pleading guilty to distributing Oxycodone via dark web marketplaces.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 20, 2026, 10:27 a.m. ET
On August 13, 2026, U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould for the Northern District of Texas announced that Samad Hamid Castro, 41, of New Jersey, was to 164 months in federal prison for the illicit distribution of Oxycodone. U.S. District Judge Mark T. Pittman handed down the sentence following Castro's April 1 guilty plea. According to official court records from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas, Castro admitted to operating as a seller on dark web marketplaces from October 2023 through August 2025. He mailed parcels containing Oxycodone to buyers in Texas communities, including Fort Worth, Keller, Euless, Hurst, Mansfield, Watauga, and Weatherford. Record text indicates a shipping account linked to Castro showed nearly 4,000 parcels sent to over 1,000 separate customers across 48 states and the District of Columbia by September 2025. During a search of Castro's New Jersey residence, law enforcement officers located over 24,000 Oxycontin pills, many hidden in bags of Polish-branded breakfast cereal. As part of his guilty plea, Castro agreed to forfeit over $700,000 in cryptocurrencies, over $10,000 in cash, and a 2025 Toyota Grand Highlander Limited.

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  1. Version 120 Aug 2026, 14:27current

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