A dark-web drug dealer at 20, he bought luxury cars and gold-plated guns. Then he got caught

A Southern California duo face federal sentencing for selling tens of thousands of fentanyl-laced pills and cocaine on the dark web, causing the death of at least one teenager.

The mastermind of the operation, then 20 years old, concealed his identity while working the dark corners of the internet, raking in enough money to buy multiple Mercedes-Benz vehicles, gold-plated guns and more.

Brian McDonald of Van Nuys, 23, and Ciara Clutario of Burbank, 23, were indicted in May 2023 on a total of eight counts including conspiracy to distribute and the distribution of cocaine and fentanyl. McDonald pleaded guilty to two of those counts.

From April 2021 and May 2023, McDonald operated under various aliases on websites including White House Market, ToRReZ and AlphaBay, where he sold illegal drugs nationwide in exchange for cryptocurrency.

Within the first month of his sales in May, McDonald allegedly sold 20,000 pills and soon made $160,000 in profit. According to federal prosecutors, McDonald employed associates such as Clutario to help him with the packaging and sale of pills, offering $10,000 a month in pay.

The profits from McDonald’s operation funded a lavish lifestyle.

He developed a fondness for Mercedes-Benz, purchasing multiple cars. He bought a Rolex watch and began taking opulent vacations, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

He also outfitted himself with an arsenal of weapons. Listed in the eight counts against him, McDonald owned two gold-plated semiautomatic firearms, Glock and Micro Draco pistols, the latter of which was a “ghost gun” without a serial number.

Gold-plated firearms and cash were among evidence in the case against a San Fernando pair.

(U.S. District Court)

Prosecutors said that in texts McDonald would brag that he was a “real drug dealer” who had sold in “yacht” quantities — tens of thousands of pills distributed across the United States that he allegedly packaged and stored in his apartment.

And those exploits proved deadly for at least one young student.

According to a sentencing memorandum filed by the U.S. attorney’s office, a Michigan 16-year-old died after ingesting one of McDonald’s fentanyl-laced pills. Fentanyl is 50 to 100 times stronger than morphine and a leading cause of opioid-related deaths in the U.S.

McDonald pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to distribute at least 400 grams of a substance containing detectable amounts of fentanyl and cocaine alongside the possession of firearms in a drug-trafficking operation. At a minimum, he faces 10 years in prison for selling drugs and five years, to be served consecutively, for owning firearms to sell drugs.

The U.S. attorney’s office has suggested a 21-year sentence, including a payment of $21,598.81 in restitution. Prosecutors say the proposed sentence is a reflection of the harm he caused.

McDonald’s defense countered in another sentencing memorandum that leniency should be offered considering that he was just 20 to 22 years old when he committed the crimes. His mother and his grandmother wrote character references on McDonald’s behalf, citing his troubled family history with homelessness, abuse and the foster care system.

Clutario has filed her plea agreement under seal. Judge Michael W. Fitzgerald is overseeing the sentencing hearings for McDonald, on Monday, and Clutario, on Jan. 13.