A darkweb market vendor operating from Maryland and a pharmacist from Nebraska were sentenced to federal prison for conspiring to firebomb another pharmacy and selling pills.
They both received a combined total of 23 years in prison. William Anderson Burgamy IV, 33, of Hanover, Maryland, and Hyrum T. Wilson, 41, of Auburn, Nebraska, received the sentence. This was announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Burgamy sold oxycodone, hydrocodone, alprazolam, and controlled substances through the dark web market account “NeverPressedRX” on the now defunct Empire Market. Burgamy claimed his drug trafficking operation had earned more than $1 million. Wilson, who is the owner of a pharmacy in Nebraksa, supplied Burgamy with thousands of so-called “dosage units” originally intended for use by customers of his pharmacy.
The NeverPressedRX dark web market account was successful, and Wilson had trouble supplying as many pills as Burgamy needed to keep the operation going. More legitimate customers needed to starte using Wilson’s pharmacy, so that the pharmaceutical suppliers would substantially increase the number of pills supplied to Wilson. To achieve this popularity for Wilson’s pharmacy, the partners planned to eliminate the second pharmacy in the town.
They named their sinister plan “Operation Firewood.” The plan was uncovered after Law enforcement arrested Burgamy for selling drugs through the darkweb. Law Enforcement searched Burgamy’s electronic devices and found text messages between Burgamy and Wilson with details of the plot, on of the text reads:
I may need you to give me the rundown of where you think the shit would be. What I have planned is to spray paint outside, then immediately break the door. Head in with a duffle bag and have the guy in bringing [sic] with a case of beer bottles converted into maltoff [sic] cocktails and a zippo lighter and as soon as I hop the counter with the bag he’ll throw the 4 cocktails. What do you think.
The text messages had details about their plans. Wilson provided the location and also detailed the getaway plan. Burgamy and one accomplice would execute the firebombing, according to the duo’s written plans. Burgamy and his accomplice would be armed with firearms and wear masks during the attack. After gaining entry into the pharmacy, Burgamy would steal hydrocodone and oxycodone pills before setting the pharmacy on fire and escaping in a rental car.
Details of the plan by Pills Vendors
Prosecutors provided details of the plan.
Burgamy:
- crafted the blueprints and details of the attack plot, including how he planned to obliterate Cody’s U-Save Pharmacy;
- recruited another individual to participate in the attack, agreed to bring that individual to a shooting range for practice before the operation, and instructed that individual to get measured for a plate carrier so that Burgamy could procure body armor for their collective use;
- emphasized to Wilson that he would never surrender to law enforcement, that if anyone showed up during the firebombing, he would “blast [his] fucking way out,” and that he would shoot bullets at anyone who attempted to confront or apprehend him, including the owner of Cody’s U-Save Pharmacy;
- assured Wilson that if anything happened to him, he would take care of Wilson’s “family and bills” and hoped Wilson would do the same if Burgamy was killed during the attack;
- asked Wilson to continue mailing him prescription drugs, including opioids, that would be sold to an individual who Burgamy stated was prepared to help conduct the attack with him;
- instructed Wilson to create a “getaway” map and escape routes, which Wilson sent through encrypted channels for Burgamy’s use to help him evade law enforcement detection following the attack;
- informed Wilson that he had stockpiled a cache of firearms and all of the necessary equipment needed to conduct the attack;
- assured Wilson that the attack would happen and stated, “You know I’ll take care of it” and “You’ll be sole pharmacy, you got my word;” and
- instructed Wilson to keep his life insurance policy information in a safe place in the event Burgamy was killed during the firebomb attack.
Burgamy and Wilson were each sentenced to 168 months and 112 months in prison.
According to the announcement, law Enforcement said that this operation was a part of Operation DisrupTor, an international law enforcement action targeting darkweb opioid traffickers.