Quebec man sentenced to 30 years in U.S. prison for selling fake Xanax on dark web

By Canadian Press on January 24, 2025.

A Quebec man has been sentenced to 30 years in United States federal prison for his role in an international drug ring that imported millions of fake Xanax pills into that country.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says Arden McCann, 37, has been sentenced by a judge in Georgia for being “one of the largest drug vendors” on the dark web — a hidden part of the internet accessible through specialized software.

McCann was extradited from Canada to the U.S. in June 2022 to stand trial for his role in the international trafficking ring.

He was first arrested in 2015 in Laval, Que., for selling counterfeit Xanax pills, and police seized millions of pills, $200,000 in cash, 15 firearms and alprazolam powder — a benzodiazepine and the active ingredient in Xanax.

U.S. authorities say that despite his arrest, McCann continued to sell narcotics on the dark web, including fentanyl analogs, and was arrested again by Canadian police in February 2020.

McCann pleaded guilty in September to drug importation and money laundering.

The DEA news release says his three-decade sentence will be followed by 10 years of supervised release. McCann also faces a $1-million dollar fine.