Darknet Operation “FireBunnyUSA” Exposed - Five Plead Guilty After Laundering $7.9M via Crypto

In short: The FireBunnyUSA network operated for three years, shipping over 10,000 packages containing cocaine, MDMA, and ketamine across all 50 U.S. states while laundering millions of dollars through cryptocurrencies. Five individuals have pleaded guilty; the ringleader received a 6.5-year prison sentence, and authorities seized dozens of bitcoins and thousands of XMR.

What Happened — Quick Summary 🔹 Who: Nan Wu, Peng Peng Tang, Bowen Chen, Zixiang Lin, and Katie Montgomery — all pleaded guilty for their role in the FireBunnyUSA operation.

🔹 When: From January 2019 to August 2022.

🔹 What They Sold: Cocaine, MDMA, and ketamine, delivered to all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C.

🔹 Scale: More than 10,000 packages shipped nationwide.

🔹 Money Laundered: Over $7.9 million within the group, including $3.1 million from crypto exchange proceeds.

🔹 Assets Seized: Around 20 BTC, 3,297 XMR, and $12,857 in cash confiscated from Wu and associates.

🔹 Sentence: Nan Wu was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison after pleading guilty on April 3 to selling controlled substances and money laundering.

How the Scheme Worked: Monero → Bitcoin → Fiat The group used a sophisticated rotation of privacy coins and exchanges. They first converted drug profits into Monero (XMR) — a cryptocurrency built for anonymity — then back into Bitcoin before moving funds through exchange accounts controlled by Wu, Tang, and others.

At least $2.4 million worth of Bitcoin was exchanged abroad into Chinese yuan, while another $734,000 passed through U.S.-based exchanges. Investigators made 11 undercover purchases between June 2021 and August 2022, including deliveries directly to Manhattan. Tang’s phone alone contained nearly $900,000 in crypto, proving that digital traces can still lead to tangible money.

What Authorities Said The Manhattan District Attorney described the scheme as a “brazen attempt to exploit the dark web to hide a nationwide drug trafficking operation.”

Even though much of the activity took place online, prosecutors stressed that it still fuels the same violent and destructive drug trade that affects local communities.

Bigger Picture — The Rise and Limits of Privacy Coins Experts note a growing trend of criminals turning to privacy-focused cryptocurrencies like Monero and Zcash for their anonymity. However, most illicit activity still involves mainstream coins such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and stablecoins — simply because they’re easier to convert into fiat money. Importantly, even privacy coins leave immutable transaction records on the blockchain. That means evidence of illegal transfers can still be analyzed and prosecuted — sometimes years later.

Key Takeaway This case proves that even the most “invisible” darknet operations aren’t untouchable. A combination of traditional detective work and blockchain forensics continues to uncover sophisticated criminal networks. Online anonymity does not mean immunity.

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