Modesto dark web fentanyl dealer sentenced to 10 years in federal prison
A 37-year-old Modesto man who admitted to selling fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills and methamphetamine on the dark web was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in federal prison, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Devlin Hosner was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Mendez after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine.
According to federal prosecutors, Hosner and co-defendant Holly Adams, 36, generated hundreds of thousands of dollars by selling fentanyl-laced counterfeit oxycodone pills and methamphetamine through the dark web. Authorities said they laundered proceeds using cryptocurrency mixers, wallets and other online tools.
State law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the pair’s residence in September 2021. Prosecutors said Hosner attempted to block officers from entering while Adams tried to destroy pills by pouring them into a chemical solution.
Both were arrested and later released, but investigators say they resumed selling fentanyl on the dark web while unknowingly under federal investigation.
Federal agents executed another search warrant in March 2022 at a hotel room in Riverside County where Hosner and Adams were staying, seizing nearly a kilogram of fentanyl-pressed pills and 60 grams of methamphetamine, according to court documents.
Hosner pleaded guilty in December 2025. Adams pleaded guilty in June 2024 and was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison in June 2025.
The case was investigated by the Northern California Illicit Digital Economy Task Force, which includes agents from IRS Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
